A better way to culture central nervous cells

A protein associated with neuron damage in Alzheimer's patients provides a superior scaffold for growing central nervous system cells in the lab. The findings could have clinical implications for producing neural implants and offers new insights on the complex link between the apoE4 apolipoprotein and Alzheimer's disease. Results appear in the journal Biomaterials.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — A protein associated with neuron damage in people with Alzheimer’s disease is surprisingly useful in promoting neuron growth in the lab, according to a new study by engineering researchers at Brown University. The findings, in press at the journal Biomaterials, suggest a better method of growing neurons outside the body that might then be implanted to treat people with neurodegenerative diseases.

A more dependable scaffold for neural cell culture
Rat central nervous system cells cultured in the apoE4
protein (right) fare better, with more axons and dendrites
than cells cultured in laminin (left). Ironically, apoE4 is
associated with the neural deficits of Alzheimer's disease
in the body. Credit: Palmore Lab/Brown University

The research compared the effects of two proteins that can be used as an artificial scaffold for growing neurons (nerve cells) from the central nervous system. The study found that central nervous system neurons from rats cultured in apolipoprotein E-4 (apoE4) grew better than neurons cultured in laminin, which had been considered the gold standard for growing mammalian neurons in the lab.

“Most scientists assumed that laminin was the best protein for growing CNS (central nervous system),” said Kwang-Min Kim, a biomedical engineering graduate student at Brown University and lead author of the study, “but we demonstrated that apoE4 has substantially better performance for mammalian CNS neurons.”

Kim performed the research under the direction of Tayhas Palmore, professor of engineering and medical science and Kim’s Ph.D. adviser. Also involved in the project was Janice Vicenty, an undergraduate from the University of Puerto Rico, who was working in the Palmore lab as a summer research fellow through the Leadership Alliance.

One size doesn't fit all
Tayhas Palmore and Kwang-Min Kim showed that lamnin,
the preferred scaffold for peripheral nerve cells, is not the
best choice for culturing cells from the central nervous
system. The protein apoE4 works much better.
Credit: Mike Cohea/Brown University

The results are surprising partly because of the association of apoE4 with Alzheimer’s. Apolipoproteins are responsible for distributing and depositing cholesterols and other lipids in the brain. They come in three varieties: apoE2, apoE3 and apoE4. People with the gene that produces apoE4 are at higher risk for amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, the hallmarks of Alzheimer’s. But exactly how the protein itself contributes to Alzheimer’s is not known.

This study suggests that outside the body, where the protein can be separated from the cholesterols it normally carries, apoE4 is actually beneficial in promoting neuron growth.


Growing new neurons
In the body, neurons grow in what’s called an extracellular matrix (ECM), a protein-rich scaffold that provides cells with nutrients and a molecular structure in which to grow. To grow neurons in the lab, scientists try to mimic the ECM present in the body. Laminin is a common protein in the body’s ECM, and studies have shown that laminin aids the growth of neurons from the peripheral nervous system (nerve cells that grow outside the brain and spinal cord).

It was largely assumed, Kim said, that because laminin was good for growing peripheral nerve cells, it would also be good for growing central nerve cells. That turns out not to be the case.

Kim was inspired to test the effects of apoE4 by a previous study that found that a mixture of apoE4 and laminin promoted CNS cell growth better than laminin alone. “The previous work hadn’t tested the effects apoE4 by itself,” Kim said. “So we started working on a side-by-side comparison of apoE4 and laminin.”

Kim and his colleagues cultured rat hippocampal cells — a model for mammalian CNS neurons — in four different treatments: laminin, laminin and apoE4 mixed, apoE4 alone, and bare glass. They found that cells cultured in apoE4 alone performed substantially better than any other treatment. The apoE4 cells were more likely to adhere to the protein scaffold, which is necessary for proper growth. They also showed more robust growth of axons and dendrites, the wire-like appendages that enable neurons to send and receive nerve signals.

Laminin doesn’t seem to be of much benefit at all for culturing CNS cells, according to the study. Cells cultured on laminin alone did not perform any better than cells cultured on bare glass.

That was another big surprise, Kim said, because laminin is so widely used in all kinds of neuron cultures.

A second part of the research looked at the chemical pathways through which proteins may enhance neuron growth. Previous work had found two neuron receptors, the gateways through which neurons interact with the outside world, that play a role in how external proteins trigger cell growth. However, when Kim blocked these two receptors, known as integrin and HSPG, he found that apoE4 still enhanced neuron growth. That finding suggests that neurons use an as yet unknown pathway to interact with apoE4.

“This discovery opens up a new target for researchers who are interested in identifying receptors that are important for spurring neural growth,” Palmore said.

Application to neural prosthetics
Unlike other cells in the body, nerve cells tend not to regenerate after being damaged by disease or trauma. So researchers hope that they can eventually implant lab-grown cells in the body to treat trauma or neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.

“People are looking at all these different proteins to see if we can make a material — a scaffold — that to a neuron, looks and feels like their natural environment,” said Palmore. “The finding that apoE4 is a better protein to add to neural scaffolds is a good breakthrough because most people have been using laminin for the central nervous system models, which turns out to be less than optimal.”

The research was supported by the National Science Foundation (HRD-0548311) and the National Institutes of Health.

- by Kevin Stacey

Brown Engineering Student Cory Hargus Wins Award at National Collegiate Research Conference

Brown engineering student Cory Hargus ’13.5 has won an Award of Excellence and a $250 prize at the second annual National Collegiate Research Conference at Harvard on January 26, 2013. He entered the poster presentation competition with his research titled, “Solar Enriched Biofuels Via Oxidizable Metal Catalysts.” Hargus was one of more than 200 students entering the poster competition.

A biomedical engineering concentrator, Hargus is a member of the AIChE (American Institute of Chemical Engineers) student group at Brown and a research assistant in the Peterson Catalyst Lab.

“Since the day he joined our group, Cory has continued to surprise me with the level of sophistication he employs in his research,” said Andrew Peterson, assistant professor of engineering. “He started this work as a 'side project' while he helped with experimental work, but he quickly broadened it into a sophisticated and innovative analysis, teaching himself the key concepts in thermodynamics and electronic structure he needed to succeed. The recognition he received in Cambridge this weekend is well-deserved.”

Brown/RISD/Erfurt Team Selected to Compete in 2014 Solar Decathlon Europe

Team Inside Out, composed of students from Brown University, Rhode Island School of Design and University of Applied Sciences of Erfurt (Germany), has been selected to compete in the Solar Decathlon Europe 2014 competition. The Brown/RISD/Erfurt team is one of only 20 teams from 16 countries selected to participate in the international competition which will be held in Versailles, France, in June-July 2014.

These 20 teams now have 18 months to work on the design, production and implementation of their respective projects, to be assembled and presented in Versailles. The teams will have to meet the challenge of fully designing and constructing an energy independent solar house.

The Solar Decathlon team brings together a diverse group of participants from Brown, RISD and Erfurt. Its evolution goes can be traced to Jonathan Knowles, professor of architecture at RISD, who led the RISD Solar Decathlon team in the 2005 edition of the competition. His positive experience in 2005 inspired him to start building the current team. The University of Applied Sciences of Erfurt was a natural partner for several reasons, including Prof. Knowles’ longstanding collaboration with Prof. Rolf Gruber, Erfurt’s expertise in passive architecture, and Erfurt’s proximity to the 2014 Solar Decathlon competition site in Versailles.

“Brown University offers talented students and strength in science and engineering that will help develop the project’s technical innovations that are an important component of the competition,” said Derek Stein, assistant professor of physics and the faculty liaison for the team.

The Solar Decathlon core team members from Brown include engineering students Matt Breuer ’14, Montana Feiger ’14, Isby Lubin ’16, Beverly Xu ’14, and Gareth Rose ’16 in addition to Howard Carter ’16, Jonah Fay ’12.5, Sage Green ’14, and Haily Tran ’16.

The students have already developed the project’s concept of a “woven” house, whose reconfigurable walls will be made of textiles, and whose various uses will be intertwined with the needs of the community. The team is rethinking what materials can go into energy and cost-efficient housing, as well as what designs will promote efficient interactions between people and their environment.

“We are designing the house to have impacts beyond its walls; users will interact with elements of the house playfully, and we will design positive feedbacks to teach users about sustainability best practices,” said Breuer. “As part of this, we are weaving the systems that are traditionally kept in the background into the foreground - users will be aware of the presence of electrical, heating, and water systems and how their behavior impacts their resource consumption. We hope this will strengthen the relationship that users have with their living space and will promote a responsible and environmentally friendly lifestyle.”

About Solar Decathlon
The Solar Decathlon is an international competition organized every other year by the Department of Energy (DOE) in the United States. Since 2010, a Solar Decathlon has been organized in Europe in the alternating years between the American competitions. The first two European competitions were held in Madrid. The next competition, to be held in June/July 2014, is being organized by France and will take place in Versailles. A competition will also be held in 2013 in the United States and China.

Professor Nitin Padture Honored by IIT Bombay

Nitin Padture, professor of engineering and director of the Center for Advanced Materials Research at Brown University, received a Distinguished Service Award from his undergraduate alma mater, the Indian Institute of Technology in Bombay. Since 1999 the awards have been given to IIT Bombay alumni who have contributed in a notable and sustained manner to the progress of the Institute.

Padture was honored as the co-leader of the Class of 1985 Legacy Projects, which include promoting entrepreneurship, supporting recruitment of top junior faculty at IITB, and supporting a Faculty Wellness Fund to benefit retired IITB faculty members and their families lacking medical coverage. Padture received the award last month at IITB’s alumni day.

Padture's research and teaching interests are in the broad areas of synthesis/processing and properties of advanced materials used in applications ranging from jet engines to solar cells to computer chips, impacting transportation, energy, and information technology sectors. He has published 125 journal papers, which have been cited over 5,000 times, is co-inventor of four patents, and he has delivered over 150 invited/keynote/plenary talks in the U.S. and abroad. Padture is the recipient of several awards and is Fellow of the American Ceramic Society and Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He is editor of a prominent international journal, Scripta Materialia.

Brown to Host Second Annual Internship and Career Fair

On Saturday, January 26, 2013 the School of Engineering will host its second annual internship and career fair at Barus and Holley. More than 150 students and over 20 different companies are expected to attend.

This year, the career fair has been expanded slightly – nearly twice as many companies are expected to attend, the fair is now open to sophomore engineering students, and companies are encouraged to recruit for internships as well as full-time positions. In addition, more time has been allotted for interaction with engineering students and company representatives.

More than 20 high-tech companies have registerd to attend this year’s fair, including Analog Devices, Avid Technology, Bay Computer Associates, Charles River Analytics, Cogent Systems, DPR Construction, Gilbane Construction, Google, IBM, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, Qualcomm, Raytheon, Sensata Technologies, Stanley Black & Decker, and Wistia.

The fair is open to current Brown School of Engineering sophomores, juniors, seniors and master’s students. Students wishing to attend should register, using only a Brown University e-mail address at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/c2vuyyw

Agenda:
12:00 - 12:25    Lunch
12:25 - 12:30    Welcome/Opening Remarks
12:30 - 2:00     Company Presentations
2:00 - 4:00      Informal Conversations and Networking/Visit Company Tables

One extra incentive for students attending this year’s fair – prizes will be raffled off throughout the day. Students must be pre-registered and must be present in order to win.

Entrepreneur and Engineer Kyle Schutter ’10 Powers Takamoto Biogas Forward

As Kyle Schutter ’10 and his roommate were riding back to Providence on the train from Boston one day during their senior year, they did what they often did during their discussions. “We’d just throw these crazy ideas at each other,” Schutter says. The crazy idea this time was biogas. “Have you ever heard of it?” his roommate asked. Schutter hadn’t. “You just take anything that can rot and turn it into fuel.”

After this, Schutter, a biomedical engineering major, couldn’t get biogas out of his head. For a class, he drew up a plan for a biogas company operating in the developing world. After graduation, he considering earning a PhD, but he changed his mind.

“I could get a PhD and know what I’ll be doing for the next seven years,” he thought, “or I could start this company, and I won’t even know what I’ll be doing a year from now.” Young and adventurous, he chose the second option.

After graduating, he went on a fact-finding trip to Africa and started an internship with a biogas construction company in Ghana. It didn’t work out. Schutter didn’t like his boss, and he was being given only menial tasks to do. After five days, he quit and went on his own to Uganda, Rwanda, and, finally, Kenya, which he decided “was a great place to live and start a business.” The country has a reliable cell phone network, he says, and an educated, business-oriented population. Farmers in rural areas—his target customers—have access to banking services. And finally, well ahead of the United States, Kenya has developed a mobile money system in which phones can be used to purchase goods. This makes handling cash unnecessary, which Schutter says reduces “the chances of theft and increases transparency.”

He opened Takamoto Biogas in Nairobi in 2011. He used a biogas system developed by a nonprofit company, taking cow dung, vegetable scraps, cooking grease, and even human feces—pretty much anything organic—mixing in water, and placing it in an oxygen-free container. Bacteria digest the waste, generating natural gas that can be captured and used to fuel anything from a milking machine to a propane cooking range. Over a six-month period, Schutter sold twelve biogas systems, each one costing $1,000.

Schutter turned to friends and family for additional capital, and during the next year and a half he sold twenty more units. If the cost of research and growth are excluded, he says, his company is already profitable.

Ever the engineer, several months ago Schutter began working in his backyard on a new model for the biogas system. He has now lowered the upfront cost to $100 and reduced installation time from twelve days to three hours. This winter he plans a renewed push to sell more units. He also will begin to court outside investors and apply for grants from foundations.

“Right now we are in a good place,” Schutter says. “We could grow faster if we had more cash, but we have to keep” enough cash on hand “because one of the biggest threats to an enterprise is stress and burnout.”

Government corruption can also be a hindrance. A Kenyan official once asked him for a $200 bribe in exchange for a permit. Schutter said he would sell the bureaucrat a biogas system at a reduced price: $1,000. The official didn’t know that what Schutter was charging him was the regular retail price for the system. The bluff worked, and no laws were broken.

For now, Schutter plans to concentrate on Kenya, but he eventually hopes to distribute his biogas systems throughout the developing world. Already, he’s received inquiries from officials in Cameroon, Somalia, and Uganda. “Whether it’s me or someone else,” he says, “this idea will be spread worldwide.”

- by Lawrence Goodman/Brown Alumni Magazine

Seth Coe-Sullivan ’99 of QD Vision Wins Best in Show at Consumer Electronics Show for Sony TV

The Sony Bravia 4K 65-inch television was selected Best in Show and Best Home Theater Product at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The television features Color IQ™ technology developed by QD Vision. Brown engineering alumnus Seth Coe-Sullivan ’99 is the co-founder and chief technology officer of QD Vision.

“Brown Engineering was exactly the right place to get my engineering entrepreneurship career started,” said Coe-Sullivan. “Engineering is coupled to an atmosphere of creativity that the liberal arts college imbues.”

Color IQ™ is the world’s first high volume quantum dot product for LCD televisions. This new technology enables the next generation of LCD televisions, monitors and other display products to deliver more lifelike, brilliant colors.

“My exploration of displays started at Brown with a grad-level course on LCDs that then Professor Greg Crawford opened up to undergraduates,” said Coe-Sullivan. “I was hooked, and though the journey took me from LCD to OLED, to a PhD on QLEDs and then back to LCDs, I can trace my foundations of knowledge and interest to that one uniquely Brown course.”

“Seth was an incredible student in my electricity and magnetism course and I will never forget his enthusiasm in my graduate level displays course--he took it and excelled in it as a junior,” said Greg Crawford, former Brown professor and now dean at the College of Science at Notre Dame. “I knew then he was going to be successful in life and in his career. It is wonderful to see his success as an entrepreneur and his wonderful achievement honored at the Consumer Electronics Show. More importantly Seth is a great person -- a Brown graduate we are all extraordinarily proud of."

QD Vision, Inc. is a nanomaterials product company delivering a new generation of display and lighting solutions that provide unmatched color. The only quantum dot company solely focused on displays and lighting, QD Vision's technology harnesses the unique light-emitting properties of a new class of nanomaterials called quantum dots.

Brown Entrepreneurs Storm Silicon Valley

Ten Brown students will venture to Silicon Valley January 13th - 18th to launch the inaugural Brown University West Coast Accelerator. These student entrepreneurs will meet dozens of like-minded alumni and supporters from companies such as Dun & Bradstreet Credibility Corp., Google, Facebook and Stanford’s StartX. The lucky ten will hone their business concepts through hands on marketing and technical training. They’ll explore funding opportunities through introductions to Brown alumni with the Band of Angels and Mohr Davidow Ventures. For these ten students, this trip is the opportunity of a lifetime to accelerate their ventures. With one week until show time, students are diligently re-working business models, perfecting pitches, and hosting all-night hackathons to create viable products. The inaugural class exemplifies what is uniquely Brown - a mindset to change the world in meaningful and creative ways. Meet the teams:

Determined to transform political engagement in the United States, Joschka Tryba ’12 and Max Fowler founded LoveGov, an online hub for every citizen to understand and engage in politics, from a local to federal level.

Will Barkeley ’16, the son of a deaf-blind mountain climber and marathon runner, has created Elevate, the next Nike for athletic apparel and equipment, dedicated to serving and recognizing disabled athletes like his father.

Exersaur tackles childhood obesity with a dinosaur avatar watch and a social gaming experience. Founded and led by Shawn Medford ’12, Roseanne Fleming ’12, Mark Buller Ph.D. candidate, and Ryan Sailor ’13, Exersaur fights childhood obesity with some fun.

Luke Sherwin '12, Neil Parikh '11, Giles Holt RISD '14, Gabe Flateman '12 and Chris Smothers '11 are disrupting e-commerce with Consignd, a new kind of platform for retail consignment. Consignd allows anyone to consign to or buy from influential content creators.

After spending years preparing for Taiwan preparatory exams, Sabrina Yu '15 co-founded gsuccess, a series of mobile applications to help test-takers in the greater China area conquer standardized exams on-the-go with little cost.

Will Hewson ’14, Gaurav Nakhare '15, and Daniel Hackney ’14 are jazzing up the tedious purchasing headache for consumer durables. They’ve taken their experiences in quick-service management and home-improvement sales to create durgood, an independent online product recommendation tool for durable goods

Brown University has had a long and fruitful history with entrepreneurship with alumni that include the founders of CNN, Nantucket Nectars, National Public Radio, the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative, Ariba, House of Air, Slideshare, and many others. In 2012, Forbes Magazine ranked Brown 13th in the nation for entrepreneurship. Brown is the up and coming University for innovation.

Conceived by Brown alumnus and Trustee Emeritus Jonathan Speed ’84, and planned by the Brown Entrepreneurship Program in partnership with the School of Engineering, the Business, Entrepreneurship and Organizations program, the Swearer Center for Public Service, and the Development Office, the West Coast Accelerator will expand the University’s entrepreneurial footprint to the Silicon Valley, building essential bridges between the University and its many successful West Coast alumni entrepreneurs. A visit to the nation’s technological capital will catalyze the University and Providence’s resources for entrepreneurs.

The spirit which epitomizes the University’s student body is that of an activist and creator. Unsatisfied with the world as it is, students at Brown eagerly seek opportunities to initiate improvements via new knowledge and ways of thought. The Brown Entrepreneurship Program is bringing this mission to new heights this winter. Look for updates and highlights of the Accelerator in coming months at brownep.org

By Elizabeth Weber

18 Students Inducted in Tau Beta Pi at Brown

Tau Beta Pi, the engineering honor society, inducted 18 new members into the Rhode Island Alpha chapter at Brown University on Saturday, December 8. Ten juniors were inducted along with eight seniors.

Among the ten juniors elected were: Christy Chao ’14, Joshua Cohen ’14, Katherine DeSimone ’14, Conan Huang ’14, Daniel Jacobson ’14, Ramya Mahalingam ’14, Ryan McKeown ’14, Alisa Owens ’14, Rei Ukita ’14, and Jay Young ’14.

The eight seniors elected included: Matthew Barnes ’13, Alexander Berg ’13, Ian Brownstein ’13, Elliot Creager ’13, Paula Dixon ’13, Matthew Lim ’13, Therice Morris ’13, and Stephen Palazola ’13.

Tau Beta Pi, founded in 1885, is the second oldest Greek-letter honor society in America; the oldest is Phi Beta Kappa. While Phi Beta Kappa is restricted to students in the liberal arts, Tau Beta Pi is designed to “offer appropriate recognition for superior scholarship and exemplary character to students in engineering.”

In order to be inducted into the prestigious honor society, juniors must rank in the top eighth of their class and seniors must rank in the top fifth of their class. Graduate students who have completed at least 50% of their degree requirements and who rank in the top fifth of their class are also eligible to become candidates for membership.

The Rhode Island Alpha chapter is not only an honor society to pay tribute to outstanding students, it also provides a vehicle for these students to assume a role of leadership at Brown and to be of distinctive service. Tau Beta Pi members are active in leading engineering student admissions tours of Barus and Holley, and in a variety of other engineering student organizations.

Brown Mechanical Engineering Senior David Emanuel ’13 Wins Elevator Pitch Contest with idea for a Backpack Lock

Brown alumni and students had another strong showing at the seventh annual Rhode Island Elevator Pitch contest, as David Emanuel ’13, a senior mechanical engineering concentrator took home the top prize. It was the fifth consecutive year a Brown student or alumnus has won.

Emanuel pitched Lock’d, which enables travelers to attach their backpacks to stationary objects such as hostel beds and train seats.

“With even just a little bit of funding we will fully develop a working prototype, enabling Lock’d to give travelers what they deserve: a worry-free and relaxing adventure,” he said.

David Emanuel

Emanuel is currently in Danny Warshay’s ENGN1010 class, “The Entreprenuerial Process: Innovation in Practice,” and he and his team developed Lock’d as their semester business plan project. Emanuel has also been active in the Entrepreneurship Program’s Idea Labs. The other members of Emanuel’s team are Amanda Lee ’13, Matthew Klimerman ’13, Joseph Stall ’13, and Mehves Tangun ’13. Stall is a business, entrepreneurship and organizations (BEO) concentrator and Tangun is an engineering and economics double concentrator.

The event, sponsored by the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition, was held at the Johnson & Wales University Harborside Campus and included 46 presenters. A total of $1,000 in cash prizes was awarded to the top 10 presenters. Out of the 46 to pitch, 14 had Brown connections, including 12 current students. Of the 10 finalists, an impressive six were from Brown.

Three of the top ten finalists were from Steve Petteruti’s Entrepreneurship I class, Engineering 1930G. Cory Abbe ’13, a BEO concentrator, pitched Sonacatch 3D, an all-inclusive trawl sonar system that keeps underwater fishing nets safe from harm. Other members of the team included David Killian, a computer science concentrator, Vanessa Munoz, a BEO concentrator, and Moss Amer, a BEO concentrator.

Teams from Steve Petteruti's Engineering 1930G class

Isha Gulati ’13, pitched PowerHouse, a power output meter that delivers key reading of power output of oarsmen. Other members of her team include mechanical engineering concentrators Elizabeth Gianuzzi ’13 and Francisco Oliveira ’13, and Alice Leung ’13, who is concentrating in electrical engineering.

Tim Kwak ’13, a BEO concentrator, pitched SEVA, software that will allow mariners to indicate their preferred content to be broadcast on a satellite network. Other members of his team included Ilana Foni ’13, a materials engineering concentrator, Ian Hovander ’13, a computer engineering concentrator, and William Gasner, a BEO concentrator.

The other two finalists are also active participants in the Entrepreneurship Program’s Idea Labs. Cliff Weitzman ’16, pitched BoardBrake, an attachable brake for longboards to make skateboarding safer. Sidney Kushner ’13 presented CCChampions, a nonprofit corporation he established to build a national network that links children with cancer to professional athletes.

Established in 2000, the Rhode Island Business Plan Competition recently was named one of the top 40 business plan competitions in the country, and has awarded more than $1.2 million in prizes to competitors developing companies across many industries. The contest required the competitors to pitch their business idea to a panel of eight expert judges from the Rhode Island business community in 90 seconds. The elevator pitch contest is a prelude to the annual Rhode Island Business Plan Competition, which features more than $200,000 in cash and prizes. Applications for the business plan competition close on April 1. Winners will be announced on May 2.

Previous Brown winners of the elevator pitch competition include: Julie Sygiel ’09 in 2008, Adam Leonard ’10 in 2009, Theresa Raimondo ’11 in 2010 and Kipp Bradford ’95 Sc.M.’96 in 2011.

Brown University Engineering Ranked Second Among Top 10 Graduate Engineering Programs

Graduateprograms.com has released its 2012 Top 10 Engineering Schools, and Brown was ranked No. 2, according to the site’s student reviews and ratings. The rankings are based on reviews of more than 500 engineering schools as of November 30.

“We are proud to have been recognized among the top engineering graduate schools in the country,” said Director of Graduate Studies Tom Powers. “It is impressive that a program of our size is so highly ranked.”

The programs are ranked in 15 different categories using a 10 star system. Cornell University was ranked first with 8.8 stars, while Brown was right behind with 8.7 stars.

A Brown graduate student wrote the following about its engineering program, “I think that my program at Brown is very unique and I would not want to be anywhere else. I am very pleased with the value of the education, as well as the quality of the teaching, professor interaction, and the material being covered.”

According to graduateprograms.com, the Top 10 Engineering Schools in the United States are:

1. Cornell University (8.8 stars)
2. Brown University (8.7 stars)
3. Stanford University (8.6 stars)
4. University of California-Berkeley (8.5 stars)
5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (8.4 stars)
6. University of California-Davis (8.3 stars)
7. Carnegie Mellon University (8.2 stars)
8. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (8.1 stars)
9. Princeton University (7.8 stars)
10. Purdue University-West Lafayette (7.7 stars)
10. University of California-Irvine (7.7 stars)
10. Northwestern University (7.7 stars)

“It is particularly gratifying to see that we are one of the top-ranked engineering schools among our Ivy League peers, a group that is somewhat distinct from many of the other highly ranked schools, who have a much more engineering and science directed focus,” said Dean Larry Larson.

SWE Extreme Gingerbread Competition a Success

The Brown University Society for Women Engineers held its sixth annual “Extreme Gingerbread House Competition” on Friday, November 30. Thirteen teams of three to five students participated. The designs ranged from the traditional to the modern, and included a pyramid-shaped house and several circular/stadium-shaped houses.

Once again this year, the teams were challenged to build earthquake resistant gingerbread houses out of graham crackers, icing, candy canes, pretzels, gummy bears and other supplied materials in a one-hour time period. Houses were required to be hollow with a maximum wall thickness of one inch, and had to exceed 6” x 6” x6”. The houses were judged both for aesthetics, and amount of time without breaking on a shake table. Celebrity faculty judges included Dean Larry Larson, Professor Barrett Hazeltine, and Associate Professor and Associate Dean of the Faculty Janet Blume.

For the second consecutive year, the Band (David Emanuel ’13, Yukun Gao ’13, Rebecca Reitz ’13, Ian Brownstein ’13, Hannah Riskin-Jones ’13) won the competition.

Team Erica Kahn (Jill Pandiscio ’14, Amanda Doodlesack ’14, Allison Hojsak ’14, Julia Carr ’14, Alison Gale ’14) took second place.

Team MatLab (Daniel Gregg ’15, Pawel Golyski ’15, Daniel Audette ’15, Victoria Lee ’15, Samuel Friedman ’15) finished third.

All three teams received gift certificates to local restaurants for their efforts.

For a full photo gallery of the event, please go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/brownengin/sets/72157632166921495/

School of Engineering Hosts Second Annual Internship and Career Fair

On Saturday, January 26, 2013 the School of Engineering will host its second annual internship and career fair at Barus and Holley. More than 100 students and over 20 different companies are expected to attend.

Last year, more than 15 companies attended, including Analog Devices, DPR Construction, Draper Laboratory, Google, Hamilton Sundstrand, Instron, Microsoft, Oracle, and Teledyne Technologies.

“The first annual career fair was a success,” said Professor Karen Haberstroh ’95. “It proved to be an excellent opportunity for current engineering students and faculty to network with alums - both in terms of internship and job placement possibilities, but also as a mechanism for reconnecting engineering alums with the new School of Engineering.”

This year, the career fair has been expanded slightly – nearly twice as many companies are expected to attend, the fair is now open to sophomore engineering students, and companies are encouraged to recruit for internships as well as full-time positions. In addition, more time has been allotted for interaction with engineering students and company representatives.

More than 20 high-tech companies are expected to attend this year’s fair, including Adobe, Amazon, AstroMed, Avid Technology, Charles River Analytics, Cogent Systems, Dassault Systemes, DPR Construction, Gilbane Construction, Google, IBM, Microsoft, nest, NVIDIA, Oracle, QD Vision, Qualcomm, Raytheon, Sensata Technologies, Stanley Black & Decker, and Wistia.

The fair is open to current Brown School of Engineering sophomores, juniors, seniors and master’s students. Students wishing to attend must register by Saturday, January 19, 2013, using only a Brown University e-mail address at the following link: http://tinyurl.com/c2vuyyw

Tentative Agenda:
12:00 - 12:30  Lunch
12:30 - 12:45  Welcome/Opening Remarks
12:45 - 2:00    Company Presentations
2:00 - 4:00      Informal Conversations and Networking/Visit Company Tables

One extra incentive for students attending this year’s fair – prizes will be raffled off throughout the day. Students must be pre-registered and must be present in order to win.

ARPA-E funds hydrokinetic work

Shreyas Mandre

A team of Brown University researchers has received a $750,000 grant to design an oscillating underwater wing that can capture energy from flowing water in rivers and tidal basins. The funding comes from the Department of Energy’s Advanced Research Projects Agency - Energy (ARPA-E), which funds breakthrough technologies that show fundamental technical promise but are too early for private-sector investment. “Marine and hydrokinetic energy is a vast renewable energy source,” said Shreyas Mandre, professor of engineering who will lead Brown’s effort with colleagues Kenneth Breuer in engineering and Heather Leslie in ecology and evolutionary biology. “The main advantage of hydrokinetic energy, unlike solar or wind power, is that the availability is predictable.” The wing would capture forces exerted on it by flowing water in much the same way airplane wings capture lift force from wind. “This lift force causes the hydrofoil to heave up and down periodically, and this motion can be used to generate electricity,” Mandre said. The award supports developing proof-of-concept for this potential technology, and complements current efforts to investigate the fundamental hydrodynamic mechanisms of energy conversion funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar Ka Yee C. Lee to Come to Brown

   On December 3 and 4, 2012, the Brown University chapter of Phi Beta Kappa and the Department of Chemistry will host a two-day visit by Professor Ka Yee C. Lee. Professor Lee comes to Brown under the auspices of the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholars Program.  Founded in 1776, Phi Beta Kappa is the oldest academic honor society in the nation.  During her visit, Professor Lee will meet informally with students and faculty, take part in classroom discussions, and give a public lecture to the entire academic community.  

   Her visit to Brown is a homecoming for Ka Yee C. Lee, who received an Sc.B degree from the university in electrical engineering in 1986. In 1992, she received her Ph.D from Harvard.  Since 1998, she has taught at The University of Chicago, where she is a professor in the department of chemistry, the Institute for Biophysical Dynamics, and the James Franck Institute.  She also serves as director of the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center at Chicago. 

   Professor Lee has been honored with the Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching.  A fellow of the American Physical Society, she is a recipient of the Margaret Oakley Dayhoff Award (biophysical science) and the Searle Scholar Award, as well as fellowships from the Sloan Foundation and the Packard Foundation.

   In her research, Professor Lee studies the interactions between lipids and proteins to gain insights into the biophysical aspects of diseased states.  The title of her talk, which is free and open to the public, is “Poking and Sealing Holes in Lipid Membranes.”

   Each year, the Visiting Scholars Program supports visits by a dozen or so distinguished scholars to colleges and universities around the country that shelter chapters of Phi Beta Kappa.  The purpose of the Visiting Scholars Program is to contribute to the intellectual life of academic institutions by making possible an exchange of ideas between the Visiting Scholar and resident faculty and students. This is the 57^th year of the Visiting Scholars program.  Since 1956, the program has sponsored 4,917 two-day visits by 600 scholars. Professor Lee is the tenth scholar hosted by Brown through the program.

   For more information about the Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholars Program or about Professor Ka Yee C. Lee, please contact Mary Jo Foley, 401-863-2288, mary_jo_foley@brown.edu.

Five Questions With: Robert Hurt

Robert Hurt is an engineering professor at Brown University and the director of the university’s Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation, which just celebrated its five-year anniversary.

Hurt talked to Providence Business News about the institute’s growth during that period, its research, and the future of the nanoscience industry in the Ocean State.

PBN: As director of the Institute for Molecular and Nanoscale Innovation at Brown, how has this program grown in the five years since its inception?

HURT: Our Institute, IMNI, was founded in 2007 to promote and coordinate research and education in the molecular and nanosciences across the Brown campus.

Over the last five years we have worked hard to develop cross-departmental and cross-institutional research teams that allow our scientist to address the big societal problems of the day – those that are too complex for traditional single-investigator science.

We have also recruited and hired several new young faculty members, developed a professional staff for proposal development and program management, increased the number and breadth of our federal grant portfolio in this area, acquired new major pieces of research equipment, and launched the Rhode Island Consortium for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (RIN2) together with partners from URI.

PBN: Of all the research being conducted at IMNI, what’s your favorite and why?

HURT: It’s a hard choice - with 60 members and three thrust areas, we have a lot of exciting research to talk about. Certainly Professor Shouheng Sun’s research on nanoparticle synthesis is internationally recognized, and his highly engineered nanoparticles are promising for applications in sensing, data storage, fuel cell electrodes, biomedicine, and as catalysts for energy transformation processes.

Another highlight is our new federally-sponsored Center for Chemical Innovation, led by Professor Tayhas Palmore. The grant focuses on conversion of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere into commodity chemicals, in the hope of developing more sustainable routes to chemical manufacturing.

I am also very excited by our industry partnerships with General Motors and Medtronic, both focused on advanced materials.

PBN: IMNI recently earned permission from the university to open a NanoTools facility on campus, what does that entail?

HURT: One of IMNI’s most important functions has been to build and operate central facilities that offer state-of-the-art equipment to users both on and off campus. Much of the equipment needed for modern R&D in nanotechnology and materials science is too expensive to be acquired and run by individual investigators or laboratories. IMNI currently operates central facilities for micro-fabrication and electron microscopy, the latter facility being one of the finest university facilities anywhere.

A while back we recognized the need for a new facility that focuses on material characterization. Having fabricated a new material or device, one needs to know a lot about its structure and properties before it can be effectively pushed into new technologies. Our new NanoTools facility, which is on the planning board, will house a suite of state-of-the-art instruments for materials characterization, including spectroscopies to study the chemical bonding within a material, and atomic force microscopes to study the atomic-scale and nanoscale features on material surfaces.

PBN: The science of nanotechnology has really burst onto the scene in the last 20 years, how do you think the field will continue to grow, both at IMNI and nationally?

HURT: Nanotechnology has grown steadily over the last decade both in terms of federal funding and in terms of IP generation and product commercialization. This growth is projected to continue. At the same time, nanotechnology has matured and evolved as a field, and become less of a stand-alone activity and more integrated into technology development across a range of sectors.

I believe that most nanotechnology today is not being practiced at self-identified nanotech startups, but at large firms in many different sectors of manufacturing. Much of the R&D you might associate with energy technology, for example, whether in batteries, solar cells, or fuel cells, is really nanotechnology applied to the materials and components used in those devices. That is where much of the real innovation is occurring.

Ten years ago, nanotechnology was exploratory science taking place in university laboratory settings, and sometimes described in very imaginative and futuristic terms. Now it is evolving into a set of practical mainstream tools and materials used in technology development for energy, health care, military, and manufacturing. I believe we will see continued growth, but that growth might not always be in the form of an easily definable nanotech business sector.

PBN: You’ve said that you think nanotechnology can help Brown (and the state’s other higher education facilities) boost Rhode Island’s economy. How?

HURT: IMNI’s growth has created faculty and staff jobs, as mentioned above. I think our biggest opportunity for the future is still in the area of federal funding, where IMNI and RIN2 can bring together a critical mass of researchers to compete for large grants.

This basic research employs people in the state, and also attracts some of the top young talent to pursue higher degrees and maybe remain in the state or region after graduation. I also hope we can grow our industrial partner program and focus it more on state and regional companies.

Finally, with the establishment of the new School of Engineering, which is a major player in IMNI, and with Brown’s development and growth in the Jewelry District, there is hope we can develop a critical mass of high-technology activity in Providence that could help the knowledge economy here take shape.

By Emily Greenhalgh

Brown releases economic impact report

A report released today by Brown University outlines Brown’s contributions to the local economy, including to the development of the knowledge-based economy through its nearly $180-million investment in research, patent generation, and startup creation. The report was commissioned by Brown University and prepared by Appleseed Inc. of New York City.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] — Brown University today released a report that provides an overview of the University’s economic impact on the State of Rhode Island. The report details Brown’s stimulus of the local economy through its direct and indirect employment, spending, research activities, and development of human capital.

Building Rhode Island’s Knowledge Economy: The Economic Impact of Brown University, November 2012 finds that Brown spent more than $178.9 million on research in fiscal year 2012, helping to create the knowledge and ideas needed to spur economic growth. The report also details how Brown faculty, students, and staff are translating knowledge and discovery into new technologies, products, processes, services, and businesses.

“Research, innovation, and creativity are essential components to strengthening Rhode Island’s economy,” said Brown President Christina Paxson. “This report illustrates that Brown has an important role to play in economic growth, and we look forward to working with our city, state, and private industry partners to advance our shared agenda.”

In addition to being the state’s fifth-largest employer, with Rhode Island residents making up 81 percent of its 4,459 employees, and generating significant economic activity through construction activity and direct student and visitor spending, Brown makes the following contributions to the overall effort to develop a knowledge-based economy in Providence, according to the report:

• Research. Brown spent $178.9 million on research in fiscal year 2012 — an increase of nearly 29 percent since fiscal year 2009 — making Brown Rhode Island’s leading center of scientific research and development.
• Patents and licenses. In fiscal year 2012, Brown filed 98 patent applications on technologies first developed at Brown, was awarded 15 new patents, entered into six licensing or option agreements for commercial use of new technologies developed at Brown, and received nearly $1.6 million in licensing revenue.
• Startups. A minimum of 25 new Rhode Island-based startups had their genesis at Brown, creating 450 jobs.
• Facilities. Of the $131.5 million spent on construction in 2011, nearly $90 million was devoted to medical and research facilities, resulting in 208,000 square feet of new or renovated space and creating 705 full-time equivalent jobs.

Kick-starting the knowledge economy
With $178.9 million spent on research and 98 new 
technology patents filed last year, academic research at 
Brown is a leader in developing the knowledge economy.
Pre-dawn photo of Brown and Providence by Mike Cohea/Brown University.

“Brown is Providence’s major-league franchise, and the University’s successful development as an internationally renowned research university is a driving force in our efforts to create jobs, attract investments, and grow Rhode Island’s capital city into a regional hub of the 21st-century knowledge economy,” said Providence Mayor Angel Taveras.

Added Laurie White, president of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, “Brown helps strengthen Rhode Island’s effort to build and sustain a knowledge-driven economy. Its academic research and development, patents issued, and educational attainment are some of the key drivers for which Rhode Island’s performance ranks within the top 20 states for current innovation capacity.”

The report can be read at brown.edu/about/reports/economic-impact/, where it is also available for download (pdf).

By Darlene Trew Crist

SWE to Host 6th Annual Extreme Gingerbread House Competition

The Brown University Society for Women Engineers will be sponsoring its sixth annual "Extreme Gingerbread House Competition" on Friday, November 30, from 5:00 - 8:00 in the lobby of the Barus and Holley building on 184 Hope Street.

Twenty-two teams of 3-5 students and professors will be allowed to pre-register for the competition. Any additional teams that express interest will be placed on a waitlist in the event that a team does not arrive. If the team has not arrived within five minutes of the beginning of the event, their spot will be given to a team on the waitlist or a team that has shown up at the event without registering.

Each team will be supplied with two boxes of graham crackers, two Ziploc bags of royal icing, and a tray on which to construct their house. Additionally, all teams will be provided with an empty sandwich size Ziploc bag for taking the communal supplies. Foods such as candy canes, M&Ms, teddy grahams, shredded coconut, etc., will be kept on a central table. At the start of the one hour time slot of building, one member of each team will be allowed to take the empty Ziploc bag to the communal table and fill the bag with whatever supplies they feel are most valuable for their team’s house. All food items will be provided by SWE at the event; teams are NOT allowed to bring any of their own food.

The teams will have one hour to construct their houses out of the provided food. Houses should be designed to follow the criteria listed below:
- The house must fit on the provided tray and not cover the drilled-in holes.
- House dimensions must exceed 6”x6”x6”.
- The house must be hollow.
- The maximum wall thickness is 1”.
- The house must be glued/pasted to the tray; the house may not slide around the tray.
- The house should be designed to withstand earthquakes.

Teams are allowed to bring any tools that they think will be helpful such as knives, drills, etc. Teams are responsible for bringing the necessary power connections/extension cords. If you plan on using tools, please ensure you know how to use them safely and plan on bring the necessary personal protective equipment, such as safety glasses. No chemicals can be used during the manufacturing of the house; the house and all its contents must remain edible at all times.

After exactly one hour, the teams will be forced to stop construction on their houses. The houses will initially be judged before a panel of three faculty judges on (1) Attractiveness of the house [1-10 points] (2) Novel use of building materials [1-5 points] (3) Use of available space (ie decorations other than the house) [1-5 points]. Additionally, judges will have the option to select one “wildcard” house after viewing all the completed houses. Judges will award a bonus of three points to the house if they feel that one house was exceptional in a way that was not represented in the other scores; this is optional and at the judges discretion. The sum of these components will be used as the team’s aesthetic score.

The second portion of judging will be on the ability of the house to withstand a simulated earthquake. The tray will be attached to a shake table and cycled through a regimen moving from a low frequency to a high frequency. After every 15 seconds, the frequency will increase. Time will start when the shake table is turned on, and will be stopped when part of the house falls off the main structure; this includes decorations attached to the house, but not “environmental decorations” that are simply on the tray. The final call on whether a house has "failed" will be at the judges' discretion. Houses will not be judged until tables and floors are clean.

After all the houses have been tested, the maximum amount of time on the shake table to make a gingerbread house break will be used to calculate the scores, as shown below:

          GroupTime
----------------------- x 50 = Total
Maximum Group Time

Total group scores will be calculated by combining the aesthetic score (out of 25 points) and the stability score (out of 50 points) for a total score out of 75 points. The team with the most points will be considered the winner. The team with the second highest number of points will be given second place and so forth. The top three teams will be awarded a prize.

When registering, each team will be asked to pay a registration fee of $6.00 to enter the event.

Nearly 200 Attend NEW.Mech Workshop at Brown School of Engineering

The Brown University School of Engineering hosted the 2012 New 
England Workshop on the Mechanics of Materials and Structures on November 3, 2012, at the Granoff Center with nearly 200 participants. Building on the momentum of past workshops, it was another successful installment of NewMech with participants travelling from all over New England and New York.

The one-day workshop brought together the New England Mechanics community with an interest in exploring new directions on the mechanics of materials and structures and sharing the latest advancements in the field. The event, open to the public free of cost, included four invited lectures from leading experts in the field and presented an opportunity for young scientists to highlight their research in the form of presentations, posters and movies.

One of the highlights of the workshop was the poster competition with 41 entries submitted. Each poster was judged on scientific contribution, clarity and structure, originality, and appearance. Peng Chen of Brown University won first place, while Michael Bartlett of UMass captured second place. There was a tie for third place between Alice Nasto of MIT and Ramin Oftadeh of Northeastern.

In addition, the workshop featured a new component, the “Gallery of Mechanics”. This event included movies that display research in the New England mechanics community. Ten movies were submitted and awards were presented to the top three entries. The first place winner was James Hanna of UMass. There was a tie for second place between Daniel Chen of Brandeis and Jonathan Pham of UMass. 

The workshop was possible through the generous support of The Haythornthwaite Foundation, and Brown University’s Starr Lectureship Fund, Office of the Vice President for Research and the School of Engineering, and was organized locally by Christian Franck and Shreyas Mandre, assistant professors of engineering at Brown, and by Pedro Reis (MIT), Ken Kamrin (MIT), Katia Bertoldi (Harvard), Christian Santangelo (UMass), and Ashkan Vaziri (Northeastern).

Next year’s NewMech workshop will be held at Northeastern University. For more information, please go to: http://www.brown.edu/conferences/new-england-mechanics-materials-structures/