View the 2015 I&E Doctoral Fellowship Program Yearbook

I&E DOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPPROGRAM 2015

Innovation and Entrepreneurship

OIE: Entrepreneurship at Stevens Is Our Mission

There has never been a more exciting time to be an entrepreneur.

Stevens Institute of Technology, a university founded by a family of inventors, understands the opportunities presented by this bold new world — as well as the collaborations needed to realize them.

That’s why we build entrepreneurial training into our graduate curriculum. We train our students to think differently, to believe in the possibilities of their ideas, and to actualize those ideas by equipping them with the conceptual, design and business skills and tools that transform novel concepts into real products and services. A three-credit required course for doctoral students is designed to inculcate an appreciation for innovation and entrepreneurship, intellectual property, multidisciplinary research and communication skills into the Ph.D. experience.

Here are just a few recent examples of Stevens graduate-level entrepreneurship in action:

• An acoustic technology known as SPADES, which scans for and detects threats underwater, began as the seed of an idea from a Stevens faculty team. Today it is licensed to the British defense contractor Sonardyne.

• A faculty member’s interest in fraud detection became a novel, patented technology and smartphone app that can detect lies in written text with high reliability.

• A student and advisor are working on flexible graphene-based sensors for medical uses and a start-up company has been formed.

• Math professors have created an interactive tutor for teaching calculus to high school and college students.

The Stevens Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship (OIE) coordinates and manages the university’s entrepreneurial activities.

We steward the patenting, commercialization and licensing of faculty-generated research and intellectual property, transforming new ideas and breakthroughs into a multitude of products and services.

And we administer the highly competitive I&E Doctoral Fellowship Program, which aims to support research with a high chance of leading to transformational changes in its domain through innovation and science-driven disruptive technology development. Stvudents are supported for a minimum of two years and can continue on only if intellectual property or commercialization are forthcoming.

This book describes the 2015-2016 I&E Doctoral Fellowship Program. Within its pages, you will read about the inspired thesis research of this year’s class of scholars, an impressive group of 25 who tackled topics ranging from tissue engineering and human-robot interaction to advances in mobile computing.

32% (8) of the 2015 Fellows are women

Doctoral Scholars Stats

Students’ Departments

Mathematical Science 1Physics 1

Civil, Environmental and Ocean Engineering 2

Computer Science 2Mechanical Engineering 2

Chemical Engineering & Materials Science 3

Electrical & Computer Engineering 3Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry &

Biological Sciences 5School of Systems & Enterprises 6

TO LEARN MORE, CONTACT:

Sandra Furnbach Clavijo, P.E.Programs [email protected] David PeacockDirector Intellectual Property [email protected]

Werner Kuhr, Ph.D.Director, Technology [email protected]

Christos Christodoulatos, Ph.D.Vice Provost of Innovation & [email protected]

The Stevens Innovation

Expo is an annual, one-day,

campus-wide event that

displays the extensive

research and innovation

accomplishments of faculty

and students.

stevens.edu/expo

Dante Gama DessavreMajor: Engineering Management Advisor: Jose Ramirez-Marquez, Ph.D.Department: School of Systems & Enterprises

Comparative Multidimensional Mathematical Systems Resilience Modeling and VisualizationThesis Project Summary:Physical resilience refers to the ability of an object, such as a coil, to spring back into shape after withstanding a shock. This concept has been adapted to describe the behavior of systems (ecological, urban and social, among others) after disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes, characterizing how the systems get affected and how they recover. This research focuses on developing new models that permit comparing quantitatively the resilience of different systems. These models are being developed with effective visualizations as a priority, so that decision-makers have better tools during the decision process and can compare different decisions. The models are being applied to different systems. One application is the study of the resilience of cities during hurricanes and tropical storms, such as Hoboken during Hurricane Sandy. Another is the resilience of networked systems during software vulnerability exploits.

ENERGY & SUSTAINABILITY

2 Innovation & Entrepreneurship Doctoral Fellowship Program 2015

Papers:• Gama Dessavre, D.; Ramirez-Marquez, J.E.; Barker, K.:

“Multidimensional Approach to Complex System Resilience Analysis.” Reliability Engineering and System Safety. In review process.

• Gama Dessavre, D.; Ramirez-Marquez, J.E.: “Comparison of Encompassing and Targeted Protection Strategies on System Resilience.” Annals of Operation Research. In review process.

• Bonnet, B., Gama Dessavre, D.; Kraus, K., Ramirez-Marquez, J.E.: “Optimal Placement of Public-Access AEDs in Urban Environments.” In review process; preliminary acceptance.

Conferences:• Gama Dessavre, D.; Ramirez-Marquez, J.E.: “Infrastructure Resilience

Framework for Decision-Making Comparison and Real-Time Monitoring.” INFORMS 2015 Annual Meeting, Philadelphia

• Gama Dessavre, D.; Ramirez-Marquez, J.E.: “Overall System Resilience Estimation.” European Safety and Reliability Conference ESREL 2015, Zurich, Switzerland.

• Rocco, C.M.; Ramirez-Marquez, J.E.; Moronta, J.; Gama Dessavre, D.: “Effects of link weights uncertainties in network community detection: Application to two electric power systems.” European Safety and Reliability Conference ESREL 2015, Zurich, Switzerland.

• Gama Dessavre, D.; Ramirez-Marquez, J.E.: “Multi-Event Resilience Optimization Formulations.” 27th European Conference on Operational Research, Glasgow, Scotland

• Gama Dessavre, D.; Ramirez-Marquez, J.E.: “Multidimensional approach to complex system resilience analysis.” XVII CLAIO 2014, Monterrey, Mexico.

Lin DongMajor: Mechanical Engineering Advisor: Frank Fisher, Ph.D. Department: Mechanical Engineering

Electro-Active Polymer Membrane-Based Energy Harvesting with Tuning CapabilityThesis Project Summary:This research project proposes novel techniques to convert waste mechanical (vibrational) energy from environmental sources into small but useful level of electrical energy for various important technological applications. In this project, the researchers have demonstrated the technical feasibility of the electro-active ambient vibration energy harvester and developed a detailed analysis of predicted performance of the proposed technology. Preliminary simulation results suggest that stretching the membrane-based energy harvesters or applying a bias-voltage can significantly change the resonant frequency of the device. Furthermore, this tuning approach could also be used to optimize the response of membrane-based designs for maximum power output for vibration energy harvesting applications. The potential intellectual property is relevant to a wide array of industrial and commercial equipment. Key candidates for the proposed technology include industrial efficiency monitoring and condition-based maintenance. The wireless communication technology and power harvesting in general will enable sensors to be embedded in products such as motors, building structures, manufacturing machines, and many more.


Stevens Institute of Technology: The Innovation University 3

Grants:• SBIR Phase 2: Universal Tunable Energy Harvesters for Wireless

Devices, submitted to Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) with KCF Technologies, State College, PA, April 2012.

• Composite Film for High Fidelity, High Pressure Impact Measurement, submitted to Army SBIR/STTR with KCF Technologies, State College, PA, Jan. 21, 2014.

Patents:• Jianjun Qu, Zhifeng Wang, Jing Deng, Feng Hao, Lin Dong: DC

voltage rising, chop wave-based ultrasonic motor drive. P.R. China Patent No. ZL 200720116269.1

• Jianjun Qu, Zhifeng Wang, Jing Deng, Feng Hao, Lin Dong, Transformer-free ultrasonic motor driver. P.R. China Patent No. ZL 200720116270.4

Papers:• Dong, Lin; Grissom, Michael; Fisher, Frank T.: “Resonant

frequency of mass-loaded membranes for vibration energy harvesting applications.” AIMS Energy 3(3): 344-359. 2015

• Dong, Lin; Fisher, Frank T.: “Analysis of magnetic forces in two-dimensional space with applications for the tuning of vibration energy harvesting device.” Proceedings of the ASME 2015 International Design Engineering Technical Conferences & Computers and Information in Engineering Conference (IDETC/CIE 2015), Aug. 2-5, 2015, Boston

• Dong, Lin; Prasad, M.G.; Fisher, Frank T.: “Two dimensional resonance frequency tuning approach for vibration based energy harvesting.” 2015. Smart Materials and Structures (to be submitted)



Abbas EhsanfarMajor: Systems Engineering Advisor: Babak Heydari, Ph.D. Department: School of Systems & Enterprises

Autonomous Intelligence in Agent-Based Models of Electricity Smart GridThesis Project Summary:Future electricity networks will make extensive use of intermittent, distributed renewable generation. The implication is that supply can no longer follow the demand variations. The balance between a highly efficient grid and network security is a challenge. What’s more, generators or consumers may choose to act together as virtual power plants or consumer cooperatives. Therefore, new control and pricing frameworks have to be devised. Artificial intelligence can play a crucial role in efficient generation, storage and the demand-side scheduling. In addition, autonomous agents can act on behalf of consumers for real-time negotiations with computer units. This project aims at devising intelligent units with efficient algorithms that can competitively place bids in the market, schedule demand and fairly distribute the payments among electricity consumers and generators.

Papers:• Ehsanfar, Abbas; Heydari, Babak: “Interactive and Predictive Power Cooperative

with Axiomatic Cost and Risk Disaggregation.” Working paper, IEEE transaction on smart grid.

• Ehsanfar, Abbas; Heydari, Babak: “Interactive Multi-Consumer Power Cooperatives with Learning and Axiomatic Cost and Risk Disaggregation.” Workshops at the Twenty-Ninth AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 2015

• Ehsanfar, Abbas; Heydari, Babak: “Modeling Electricity Coalition Payoff Disaggregation: A Multi Agent Framework.” Auctions/Mechanism Design Session, INFORMS 2015

Seyed Reza MahmoodiMajor: Materials Science Advisor: Ronald Besser, Ph.D. Department: Chemical Engineering & Materials Science

Fabrication and Characterization of Novel Micro-Fuel Cell DesignsThesis Project Summary:Clean, efficient and environmental-friendly energy production systems are considered one of the major challenges for engineers and scientists. Fuel cells convert the chemical energy of a fuel gas directly into electricity and are efficient and environmentally clean because no combustion is required. Fuel cell research aims to lower the cost and improve the performance and durability of fuel cell technologies. Micro fuel cells (μFCs) have been attracting much attention as a leading candidate for prospective portable power sources and battery replacements. Their ability to create an efficient and clean source of energy combined with the ease of portability makes μFCs available to meet the needs of various portable electronic applications in future. To this purpose, making more efficient devices with cost-effective processes and materials seems crucial.

Papers:• Mahmoodi, Seyed Reza; Besser, Ronald S.: “Cost Effective Fabrication

and Characterization of in-Membrane Micro-Fuel Cell.” No. 28. The Electrochemical Society Meeting, 2015


Amalia TerraccianoMajor: Environmental Engineering Advisor: Xiaoguang Meng, Ph.D. Department: Civil, Environmental & Ocean Engineering

Fate and Transport of Graphene Oxide in Aquatic Environment and Its Impact in Water TreatmentThesis Project Summary:This study focuses on the colloidal stability of graphene oxide in aquatic environment through zeta potential, Raman spectroscopy, adsorption and kinetics tests. The investigation looks into the interactions and effects of some of the most common ions in water with the graphene oxide nanoparticles. Studied is the influence of such interactions on the application of graphene oxide in water treatment and identification of possible solutions.

Accomplishments:• Comments on “Colloidal properties of graphene oxide in aquatic

environment.” Environmental Science & Technology, 2014 (http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es404912p)

Hoong Yan See TaoMajor: Systems Engineering Advisor: Robert Cloutier, Ph.D. Department: School of Systems & Enterprises

Architecture Framework of Smart Grid in Smart CitiesThesis Project Summary:The research project addresses the need for sustainable, clean energy in a smart city. The focus is on evaluating the social, economic, environmental and technical impacts of integrating renewable energy into the smart grid. It is important to frame the complex energy system using a holistic approach in the context of a smart city. The actual implementation and development of a case study of Smart City Hoboken is underway. An architecture framework of the smart grid system in the context of a smart city is being developed using modeling and visualization techniques to reason about the problem, understand the complexity of the energy system, and communicate about the smart grid with others.

Awards:• Stevens Outstanding Female Graduate Student Leader Award, 2015• Stevens Distinguished Teaching Assistant Award, 2014

Publications:• See Tao, H.Y.; Bahabry, A.; Cloutier, R.: “Customer Centricity in Smart Grid

Model.” Conference on Systems Engineering Research (CSER), Hoboken, N.J., 2015

• Luna, S.; Lopes, A.; See Tao, H.Y.; Zapata, F.; Pineda, R.L.: “Integration, Verification, Validation, Test and Evaluation (IVVT&E) Framework for System of Systems (SoS).” Complex Adaptive Systems Conference, Baltimore, MD, 2013

Accomplishments:• President of the Stevens Student Division of the International Council on Systems

Engineering (INCOSE), 2013-14.


Zhehuan ChenMajor: Material Engineering Advisor: Woo Lee, Ph.D. Department: Chemical Engineering & Materials Science

Developing In-Vitro GVHD PlatformThesis Project Summary:Allogeneic blood and marrow transplantation is the only treatment for many deadly diseases. However, this treatment is also pretty risky. Almost half of patients experience acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) after transplantation, threatening their lives. Developing an in-vitro GVHD platform provides a new way for determining a patient’s risk of developing GVHD. The platform is a well-plate-based perfusion device with T-cells activated by APCs through an APC chamber and interacting with IECs through an IEC chamber. It could help in donor selection and new treatment strategies. Furthermore, an in-vitro GVHD platform can be developed as a better alternative to animal models to study the biology of immune response and to develop and evaluate new drugs.

HEALTHCARE

Rebecca ChungMajor: Biomedical Engineering Advisor: Antonio Valdevit, Ph.D. Department: Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry & Biological Sciences

Effects of Loading Frequency and Loading Duration on Mechanically Induced Bone FormationThesis Project Summary:Approximately six million bone injuries occur annually in the U.S. and more than one million bone-grafting procedures are performed, yet improvements in biologically active supports (scaffolds) remain unexplored. Using patient-specific tissue under bioreactor growth and mechanically stable scaffolds would alleviate the complications that can occur with traditional patient bone harvesting or cadaver bone grafting and provide immediate long-term stability. However, the achievement of matching properties between scaffold design and native bone tissue to ensure optimal mechanical conditions for growth is still a challenge. Rebecca Chung’s thesis encompasses examination of optimal loading parameters to grow bone on cell-seeded scaffolds. She has custom-designed 3-D-printed dual stiffness polymer scaffolds that have yielded comparable mechanical properties to bone, thereby showing promise that such novel scaffold design may improve bone graft incorporation and stability for the long term.

Conferences:• Chung, R.; Valdevit, A.: Dynamic Analysis of Variable Modulus Scaffolds for Bone Regeneration. Biomedical

Engineering Society Annual Meeting. Tampa, Fla., Oct. 7-10, 2015.• Chung R.; Pugliese, K.; Vandergaag, G.; Ritter, A.; Valdevit, A.: Vertebral Body Response to Elevated Frequency

Fatigue Loading. 61st Orthopaedic Research Society Annual Meeting. Las Vegas, March 28-31, 2015.• Chung, R.; Niemiera, M.; Ritter, A.; Valdevit, A.: Trabecular Response to Elevated Loading Frequencies.

Biomedical Engineering Society Annual Meeting. San Antonio, Tex. Oct. 22-25, 2014.• Chung, R.; Ritter, A.; Valdevit, A.: Stiffness Response of Bone to Elevated Frequency Loading. Society of

Engineering Science, 51st Annual Technical Meeting, Purdue University. Oct. 1-3, 2014.• Invited Speaker, Advanced Study Institute on Global Healthcare Challenges (sponsored by NSF)• Dokuz Eylul Universitesi, Izmir, Turkey. June 2015

Accomplishments:• NSF iCorps: Piezoelectric Actuation for Tooth Extraction and Dental Procedures. Dr. Antonio Valdevit (PI),

Rebecca Chung, Paul Magnone. Aug. 2015• NSF Graduate Student Fellowship: Biocomplexity, Biodesign, & Bioinnova Symposium • Bogazici University. Istanbul, Turkey. June 2014• Institutional Invention Disclosure: Dual Modulus Scaffold Designs for Bone Graft Incorporation and Stability.

Rebecca Chung, Dr. Antonio Valdevit, Dr. Dilhan M. Kalyon. June 2015


Youlong MaMajor: Materials Science Advisor: Matthew Libera, Ph.D. Department: Chemical Engineering & Materials Science

Gel-Tethered Molecular DiagnosticsThesis Project Summary:As a self-reportive and highly discriminative DNA probe, molecular beacons (MBs) are effective for detecting bacteria and pathogens. Previous research has extensively studied the mechanism of binding molecular beacon probes onto polyethlyene glycol (PEG) hydrogels. Our methods make it possible to immobilize molecular beacons on microgel surfaces with high signal-to-background Ratios (SBRs), which are comparable to the SBRs in free solution. Preparing microgel arrays by electron beam lithography is a highly controllable and accurate method, which means we can obtain microgel arrays of a certain size, shape and position. By identifying the target through position or color rather than fluorophore color, we are able to create a detection chip with an almost unlimited number of genotypes. To prepare a rapid detection integrated chip, we use an E-beam patterning approach to achieve a micro-level letter array on biotinylated PEG-coated glass slides. Importantly, we can functionalize specific hydrogels on slide, using a system we have created to precisely deposit nanoliter drops of different molecular beacon probes on different letters. Surface-bounded probes will be amplified by nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (NASBA). Further research will focus on transferring the whole process from liquid phase to solid phase. Demonstrating multiplexed microarray identification and solid phase NASBA will be a significant step forward.

Accomplishments:• Submitted patent application: Gel-Tethering for Integrated Oligonucleotide

Amplification and Real-Time Detection

Amir Mirbeik-SabzevariMajor: Electrical Engineering Advisor: Negar Tavassolian, Ph.D Department: Electrical & Computer Engineering

High-Resolution Millimeter-Wave Imaging System for the Early-Stage Detection of Skin CancerThesis Project Summary:As a result of our research, a point-of-care, compact imaging device will be developed based on a low-cost technology to assist dermatologists in the early-stage detection of skin tumors at the clinic. The device will address the shortcomings of current skin-imaging methodologies and will have significant impact in reducing skin cancer occurrences and treatment costs. It will be the first to simultaneously offer satisfactory contrasts between cancerous and normal skin tissues, suitable penetration depths into the skin structure, and adequate spatial resolutions for the delineation of skin tumors at early stages.

Publications:• Mirbeik, A.; Tavassolian, N.; “Ultra-High Resolution Millimeter-Wave Imaging for Biomedical

Applications: Feasibility Study,” BIOCAS 2015.• Mirbeik, A.; Tavassoli, V.; Ayazi, F.; Tavassolian, N.: “Three Dimensional, Ultra-Wideband Micro-

machined Millimeter-Wave Hemispherical Shell Antenna: Theoretical Concept and Calibration,” IET Microwaves, Antennas and Propagation. Accepted July 2015.

• Mirbeik, A.; Tavassolian, N.: “Synthetic Ultra-Wideband Antenna for High-Resolution Millimeter-Wave Imaging,” Proc. IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, July 2015.

• Mirbeik, A.; Tavassolian, N.: “Ultra-High Resolution Millimeter-Wave Imaging for Biomedical Applications: Feasibility Study,” IEEE/CAS-EMB Biomedical Circuits and Systems Conference (BioCAS), Submitted June 2015.

• Mirbeik, A.; Ayazi, F.; Tavassolian, N.: “Three-Dimensional Super-Wideband Micro-Antenna for High-Resolution Millimeter-Wave Medical Imaging,” IEEE International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine and Biology Society, pp. 4,999-5,002, August 2014.

HEALTHCARE


Vrajeshri PatelMajor: Biomedical Engineering Advisor: Ramana Vinjamuri, Ph.D Department: Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry & Biological Sciences

Neural Control of Holistic Synergies in Upper Limb MovementsThesis Project Summary:The brain is tasked with controlling high-dimensional limbs with accuracy and speed. To simplify this task, it is hypothesized that the brain uses movement synergies, or building blocks of movement, that combine to create more complex movements. This project involves the further development of synergy-based movement models using kinematic and neural signals collected from recruited subjects. For translational research, the developed model will be used in two different prosthetic control schemes. In the first scheme, invasive neural data will be collected in a clinical setting and be used to control a virtual, high-dimensional prosthetic limb. In the second scheme, electromyography (muscle signals) will be used to control a high-dimensional prosthetic limb. Both schemes are applicable to individuals with whole upper-limb paralysis or amputation.

Yuhao WangMajor: Chemistry Advisor: Svetlana Sukhishvili, Ph.DDepartment: Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry & Biological Sciences

Template-Free Assembly of Polymer CapsulesThesis Project Summary:Nano-size polymer capsules hold promise for encapsulation, diagnostics, and therapeutic delivery applications. The current challenges of capsule preparation are: small-scale preparation of capsules; limited choices of drugs or functional materials can be loaded into nanocapsules; the capsules’ lack of controllable loading-release properties. The goal of this research is to develop a facile, spontaneous assembly of hydrogen-bonded polymer complexes into a hollow capsule, which simplifies nanocapsule fabrication and easily scales up the yield. The hollow shell structure is available for hosting a variety of payloads and the simplified capsule preparation enhances the loading capacity of the capsules. The delivery of loaded components can also be controllable by external stimuli, because of the reversible interpolymer interactions.

Accomplishments:• “Template-free assembly of polymer nanocapsules”, U. S. provisional

patent application No. 62/135,499 “One-Pot, Size-Controlled Spontaneous Assembly of Polymer Containers for On-Demand Encapsulation and Release,” submitted


HEALTHCARE

Meng XuMajor: Chemical Biology Advisor: Hongjun Wang, Ph.D.Department: Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry & Biological Sciences

Electrospun Nanofibers Regulate Dermal Fibroblast BehaviorThesis Project Summary:About two million people suffer from burns in the United States each year. Burn injuries are the nation’s third largest cause of accidental death and cause 300,000 serious injuries and 6,000 fatalities each year. Wound healing is a complex and dynamic process of replacing devitalized and missing cellular structures. In the field of wound healing research, electrospun nanofibers have shown great potential for promoting tissue regeneration and facilitating wound healing. Nanofibers with blended native extracellular matrix molecules are of particular interest in initiating desired cell/matrix interactions for cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation. This project focuses on the regulation of dermal fibroblast behavior during dermal repair following injury utilizing electrospun nanofibers with different composition. This study also implies a potential model of mimic wound bed environment to explore wound healing process in vitro.

Publications:• Wang, H.; Xu, M.: “A Biomimetic Approach toward the Fabrication of Epithelial-like

Tissue,” (book chapter). Bio-Inspired Materials for Biomedical Engineering, Edited by Chelsea M. Kirschner and Anthony B. Brennan

• Wang, K.; Xu, M.; Zhu, M.; Su, H.; Kong, D.; Wang, L.: “Creation of macropores in electrospun silk fibroin scaffolds using sacrificial PEO-microparticles to improve cellular infiltration,” Journal of Biomedical Materials Research, Part A, DOI: 10.1002/jbm.a.34656, April 18, 2013

• Fu, X.; Xu, M.; Liu, J.; Qi, Y.; Li, S.; Wang, H.: “Regulation of migratory activity of human keratinocytes by topography of multiscale collagen-containing nanofibrous matrices,” Biomaterials, DOI: 10.1016/j.biomaterials. Nov. 19, 2013

Gan ZhouMajor: Chemical Biology Advisor: Xiaojun Yu, Ph.D.Department: Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry & Biological Sciences

Tissue Engineered Nanofibrous Nerve Grafts for Enhancing the Rate of Nerve RegenerationThesis Project Summary:This project seeks to differentiate bone marrow stromal cells into Schwann cells and use a bioreactor to help the cells with differentiation and proliferation. In the peripheral nerve regeneration process, Schwann cells play a critical role. Their survival and accessibility, however, are limited for cellular tissue regeneration. So we choose a type of stem cell that is easier to harvest and culture – bone marrow stromal cells – and differentiate into Schwann cells to help peripheral nerve regeneration. A bioreactor can help the cells dominate the whole conduit by removing the effect of gravity, so the cells can grow on the whole surface of the conduit and give better regeneration results. This project has potential commercial applications: helping soldiers recover from peripheral nerve injuries and aiding people who suffer from peripheral nerve injuries caused by accidents such as car crashes or gunshots.

Accomplishments:• Grant from the Department of Defense: Tissue engineered nanofibrous

nerve grafts for enhancing the rate of nerve regeneration (award number: W81XWH-13-1-0320)


HEALTHCARE


NEW TECHNOLOGY

Behnoush GolchinfarMajor: Structural Engineering Advisor: Marcus Rutner, Ph.D. Department: Civil, Environmental & Ocean Engineering

Large-Area Detection Method of Internal Defects in Composite PlatesThesis Project Summary:Composites are superior to other materials with regard to load-weight ratios and life-cycle cost savings, and are favored as a primary structure material in many engineering areas, such as automotive, aerospace, wind, naval and civil. But composites also undergo aging and deterioration, resulting in failure that may occur abruptly and without warning. Early detection of defects, particularly internal defects, and defect growth rate is paramount to understanding the current state of the structure and remaining service lifetime. Our research aims to visualize the damage state in composite structures. Conventional nondestructive evaluation (NDE) technologies developed for isotropic materials, such as metals, may not be adequate for capturing the various defect types in composites. We are developing an autonomous, robust, large-area, power- and maintenance-free inspection technology capable of detecting and characterizing microscale internal defects in complex-geometry composite structures that stays operable for the service lifetime of the structure.

Accomplishments:• Rutner, M.; Donskoy, D.; Pavlov, J.; Besser, R.:

Internal Defect Detection in Composite Plates on Demand, Proceedings of the 10th International Workshop on Structural Health Monitoring, 2015, Stanford University


NEW TECHNOLOGY

Dmitriy KalantarovMajor: Physics Advisor: Christopher Search, Ph.D. Department: Physics & Engineering Physics

Sensitivity Enhancement of Index Sensing Coupled Resonator Optical WaveguidesThesis Project Summary:In recent years, there has been a strong push toward the development of ultra-sensitive, portable and easy-to-use on-chip biosensors capable of operating in the field in areas such as healthcare, environmental monitoring and homeland security where standard methods are precluded due to cost, environment or lack of skilled personnel. Dimitriy Kalantarov, with the help of Dr. Christopher Search, developed a new low-cost on-chip ultra-sensitive refractive index (RI) sensor that consists of Faby-Perot evanescently coupled to a microresonator, which not only has the potential for single molecule detection but is immune to common noise (temperature, laser noise, etc.). The goal for the remaining year of the project will be to theoretically vet the design and fabricate a working prototype(s).

Accomplishments:• Provisional patent application, Faby-Perot Resonator Index and delay

line provisional patent application (101995-033202)• Accepted Tesla K40 Proposal: On April 22, 2012, a proposal for the

study and fabrication of “Modulation Coupled Micro-Resonator Optical Gyroscopes” was accepted at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Center for Functional Nanomaterials, granting two years of fully funded access to a state-of-the-art class-100 microfabrication cleanroom.

• On April 22, 2014, a proposal for “Fabrication of Index Sensing Coupled Resonator Optical Waveguides” was accepted at Brookhaven National Laboratory’s Center for Functional Nanomaterials for two more years.

Publications:• Kalantarov, D.; Search, C.P.: “Effect of input–output coupling on the

sensitivity of coupled resonator optical waveguide gyroscopes,” Journal of the Optical Society of America B, 30, 377-381. 2013

• Kalantarov, D.; Search, C.P.: “Effect of resonator losses on the sensitivity of coupled resonator optical waveguide gyroscopes,” Optics Letters, 39, 985-988. 2014

• Florio, F.; Kalantarov, D.; Search, C.P.: “Effect of Static Disorder on Sensitivity of Coupled Resonator Optical Waveguide Gyroscopes,” Journal of Lightwave Technology, 32, 3, 418-3, 426. 2014

• Kalantarov, D.; Search, C.P.: “Sensitivity limits of coupled resonator optical waveguide (CROW) gyroscopes when subject to material losses,” Gyroscopy and Navigation 6 (1), 33-40

NEW TECHNOLOGY

Dmitry PanteleevMajor: Mathematics Advisor: Alexei Miasnikov, Ph.D. Department: Mathematical Sciences

Integrated Learning EnvironmentThesis Project Summary:This project explores new ways of teaching and learning. The aim is to build a present-day environment to provide a better way to teach students and make education truly personalized. It includes many components: modern workspaces for students, automatic grading, feedback and revealing hidden knowledge relations. The focus is mathematics, and it is a riveting challenge to combine current technologies with the best legacy teaching techniques. An evolution of user interfaces on various devices allowed Gradarius to be built. This tutoring system is used to write down solutions of mathematical problems in a fast and easily interpretable manner. Most importantly, it captures the way a person is thinking. Another recent world-changing development is machine learning algorithms, so the student’s actions can be analyzed and interpreted. The team believes this combination will allow it to develop a system that can deliver exemplary education anywhere.

Accomplishments:• Alexei Miasnikov and Alexey Myasnikov, New Jersey Inventors Hall of Fame, 2015:

Advancement of Invention & Process Award


Seyed Eman MahmoodiMajor: Electrical Engineering Advisor: K.P. Subbalakshmi, Ph.D. Department: Electrical & Computer Engineering

Opportunistic Computational Offloading for Mobile ComputingThesis Project Summary:The advent of 5G networking technologies has increased expectations from mobile devices. More sophisticated, computationally intense applications are expected even as mobile devices get smaller and sleeker. This predicates a need for offloading computationally intensive parts of the applications to a resource-strong cloud. At the same time, in the wireless networking world, the trend has shifted to multi-radio (as opposed to multi-channel) enabled communications. In our project, we provide a comprehensive joint computation offloading and wireless-aware scheduling solution that uses the multiple radio links available for associated data transfer optimally. Simulations and rapid prototyping on an HTC smart phone, running different multi-component applications and using the Amazon EC2 as the cloud, show that the solution behaves close to optimally with lower system complexity.

Accomplishments:• Experiments selected to run on NSFCloud. Eman presented experiments

at the NSF Cloud Workshop in Washington, Dec. 2014, • Outstanding Research Assistant in ECE, Stevens. 2014

Grants:• EARS: Collaborative Research. Dynamic Spectrum Management for

Mobile Computing, submitted to NSF (April 24)• IP: Preparing one invention disclosure for filing (Sept. 2015)

Papers:• Published journal paper, April 2014; conference paper, January 2015;

position paper in NSF, December 2014; submitted journal paper, July 2015; two journal papers under preparation by April and September 2015; magazine paper under preparation by October 2015.

Chao JiangMajor: Electrical Engineering Advisor: Yi Guo, Ph.D. Department: Electrical & Computer Engineering

Cooperative Distributed Localization and Human-Robot InteractionThesis Project Summary:Pedestrian flow in densely populated areas usually presents irregular or disordered motion due to the panic and competitive behavior by individual pedestrians, which reduces flow efficiency and increases the risk of crowd accidents. Motivated by the rising demand for indoor pedestrian-flow regulation techniques to avoid congestion or stampedes in dense environments or during emergency evacuations, this research focuses on the control of indoor pedestrian-flow behavior using autonomous mobile robots that move in the pedestrian flows. The researchers propose robot-assisted indoor pedestrian flow control that exploits human-robot interaction and the self-organization behavior seen in human collective motion. The focus is to develop a human-robot interaction model and design an optimal robot motion control strategy to mitigate pedestrian flow congestion under the influence of dynamic human-robot interaction. The proposed technique is expected to provide an efficient solution for real-time indoor pedestrian flow regulation.

Accomplishments:• One conference paper published in IEEE IROS, 2014; one journal

paper submitted to IEEE Transactions on Mobile Computing; one conference paper to be submitted to IEEE ICRA, 2016; one journal paper in preparation

• Assisted in the preparation of an NSF proposal submitted to the National Robotics Initiative in Jan. 2015.

ROBOTICS & MACHINE LEARNING


Christopher MerckMajor: Computer Science Advisor: Samantha Kleinberg, Ph.D. Department: Computer Science

Artificial Intelligence for Automated Dietary MonitoringThesis Project Summary:Christopher Merck’s research focuses on applying machine learning to automatic recognition of dietary activities such as eating and drinking and to classifying food type and determining amount consumed. Ultimately, the goal is a fully automated nutrition logging system for use in management of chronic disease and by generally health-conscious individuals.

Accomplishments:• The team has conducted two in-depth studies of eating

behavior. It has published one paper on eating recognition using head-mounted inertial sensors, and two papers are in the pipeline. The team is in the process of submitting two invention disclosures related to the project, both for novel sensing devices.

Christopher Merck (second from left)

Chao Jiang (right)



Tixiao ShanMajor: Robotics Advisor: Brendan Englot, Ph.D. Department: Mechanical Engineering

Planning Under Uncertainty and Minimizing Risk in Unstructured Underwater EnvironmentsThesis Project Summary:The proposed project focuses on two key problems of autonomous robot motion planning among underwater structures: the handling of state estimation uncertainty; and the minimization of risk that may represent proximity to obstacles and exposure to threats. The primary objective for the first problem is to penalize the growth of uncertainty in the path planner’s cost function. The sampling-based optimal path planning algorithm will be used here to achieve robust planning. To minimize the risk of the second problem, which may entail maintaining a safe distance from obstacles, avoiding exposure to threats or other related objectives, the project proposes a new sampling-based path-planning algorithm that plans minimum risk paths in accordance with primary and secondary cost criteria. A challenge of the project is to plan under uncertainty while considering the risk. The introduction of hierarchical cost functions, which is a novel feature of this project, will be used to tackle this problem.

Papers:• Shan, T.; Englot, B.: Sampling-Based Minimum Risk Path Planning in Multiobjective Configuration Spaces.

IEEE Conference on Decision and Control, 2015

Tixiao Shan (left)



Qilin ZhangMajor: Computer Science Advisor: Gang Hua, Ph.D. Department: Computer Science

Robust Multi-View Collaborative Visual Recognition with Missing DataThesis Project Summary:Camera sensors with multiple data acquisition channels, such as depth-sensing and infrared-capable cameras, are becoming more and more popular. The additional sensing channels provide valuable additional information, and this has triggered the upsurge of interest in multi-view learning algorithms. However, due to the increased sensor complexity and possibly increased transmission bandwidth requirements, the data contamination problem, such as loss of features or even entire sensing channels, is pervasive in real-world multi-view learning applications. This project is devoted to the development of multi-view learning algorithms that are robust to such data imperfections. With a latent space-based collaborative information fusion framework, the group has developed multiple algorithms that successfully fuse RGB and depth images or RGB and infrared images in object instance recognition tasks and scene recognition tasks. The proposed approaches resolve the difficulty of wasting valuable information in the training phase and outperform multiple common baselines.

Accomplishments:• Zhang, Q.; Hua, G.: “Multi-View Visual Recognition of Imperfect

Testing Data.” 23rd ACM international conference on Multimedia, October, 2015, Brisbane, Australia (full paper).

• Zhang, Q.; Hua, G.; Liu, W.; Liu, Z.; Zhang, Z.: “Auxiliary Training Information Assisted Visual Recognition,” IPSJ Transactions on Computer Vision and Applications, Vol. 7, 2015.

• Zhang, Q.; Hua, G.; Liu, W.; Liu, Z.; Zhang, Z.: “Can Visual Recognition Benefit from Auxiliary Information in Training?” (oral presentation). 12th Asian Conference on Computer Vision, Singapore, 2014.

Anqi LiuMajor: Financial Engineering Advisor: Steve Yang, Ph.D. Department: School of Systems & Enterprises

Agent-Based Simulation to Financial Market and System Behavior ModelingThesis Project Summary:The motivation of this study hinges on the facts that people may not behave as smartly as has been suggested in traditional finance. Investors show behavior bias, such as ignoring the information that goes against previous judgments, and exhibiting too much confidence after long periods of gains. This research will model the “stupid” behaviors of investors and discover how they explain market bubbles and crashes. The primary assumption is that investors make trading decisions based on their sentiment. They form or change their beliefs because of news, social media messages, historical price movements, etc. Their behavioral bias leads to market inefficiency and results in the possibility of obtaining abnormal profits consistently. Therefore, exploring the sentiment-based behavior can be useful in designing trading strategies, catching heterogeneous market patterns, regulating trading behaviors, etc.

Publications:• Yang, S.; Liu, A.; Sheung, Y.: “Twitter Financial Community Modeling Using Agent-Based Simulation,” IEEE Computational Intelligence in

Financial Engineering and Economics. London, 2014• Twitter financial community sentiment and its predictive relationship to stock market movement, Steve Y. Yang, Sheung Yin Kevin Mo, Anqi

Liu. Quantitative Finance (Accepted), SI 2015• News Sentiment to Market Impact and its Feedback Effect, Sheung Yin Kevin Mo, Anqi Liu, Steve Y. Yang. Journal of Behavioral and

Experimental Economics, 2015, (submitted)• Genetic programming optimization for a sentiment feedback strength based trading strategy, Steve Y. Yang, Sheung Yin Kevin Mo, Anqi Liu,

Andrei Kirilenko, Quantitative Finance, 2015, (submitted)

SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL


Anqi Liu (right)

SOCIAL & BEHAVIORAL


Sergio LunaMajor: Systems Engineering Advisor: Michael Pennock, Ph.D. Department: School of Systems & Enterprises

Emergency Management: Social Media and the Spread of MisinformationThesis Project Summary:Unfortunately, natural and man-made disasters are part of our lives. In response, emergency response strategies are developed and implemented by governments, non-profit organizations and civilians. Recent mitigation strategies include monitoring social media activity during an emergency because it is estimated that at least two-thirds of the American population uses this form of communication. Problems arise when misinformation is transmitted among social media users. The information transmission rates of social media applications are so high that it reaches a vast number of users in only a few seconds. Thus, social media applications may increase the number of online users who receive misinformation during emergency situations. This project is concerned with how the public may react to misinformation disseminated via social media during emergencies and the effect of their decisions on the entire emergency response system. The consequences of misinformation from social media have resulted in human losses and misallocation of resources. This project seeks to support emergency responders by providing them an interactive simulation tool that allows them to explore potential social media user reactions during emergency events and the impact of user decisions on the emergency management system.

Publications:• Integration, Verification, Validation, Test, and Evaluation (IVVT&E) Framework for System

of Systems (SoS), Procedia Computer Science. Baltimore, 2013 • Social Media in Emergency Management Advances, Challenges and Future Directions,

Systems Conference (SysCon), 9th Annual IEEE International, Vancouver, 2015

Arash O E VesaghiMajor: Systems Engineering Advisor: Mo Mansouri, Ph.D. Department: School of Systems & Enterprises

Increased Influence on Social NetworksThesis Project Summary:The importance of online social networks is increasing every day in advertising and marketing. These networks include some familiar names such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Defining and measuring influence inside these networks is a major problem. It is imperative to understand the complexity and value of the message propagated over these networks. By comprehending the interactions among users inside online societies, we can develop models to increase the influence. When we learn what people are thinking, we can increase the weights of messages and the messages will penetrate further into the society. Telling stories that resonate with individuals is the main accomplishment of a successful campaign.

Accomplishments:• Algorithms and methods developed to analyze and compute measures• A program developed to implement methods in practice• A database collected for further analysis

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Documents

View the 2015 I&E Doctoral Fellowship Program Yearbook