FAMU-FSU College of Engineering

FSU researchers use mechanical engineering, scientific computing and forestry to better understand prescribed burns

Published: December 12, 2019 | 2:18 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

From left, Bryan Quaife, assistant professor of scientific computing, Rod Linn, of Los Alamos National Laboratory, Neda Yaghoobian, assistant professor of mechanical engineering at FAMU-FSU College of Engineering and Kevin Hiers, of the Tall Timbers Research Station & Land Conservancy, won a $2.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense to study smoke plumes from prescribed fire. Photo by Mark Wallheiser / FAMU-FSU College of Engineering.

In the effort to mitigate destructive wildfires, wildland managers often fight those uncontrolled fires with prescribed fire — carefully controlled burns to safely eliminate the vegetation that piles up on forest floors and adds to potential fuel. Prescribed fires are an important tool for managing fire-prone landscapes, but they come with a cost. Fire makes […]

FSU Research: Microwave treatment is an inexpensive way to clean heavy metals from treated sewage

Published: December 5, 2019 | 11:00 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering research assistant Runwei Li looks over the separation of waste solids in professor Gang Chen’s lab at the Aero-Propulsion, Mechatronics, and Energy (AME) building in Tallahassee, Florida.

A team of Florida State University researchers studying new methods to remove toxic heavy metals from biosolids — the solid waste left over after sewage treatment — found the key is a brief spin through a microwave. The method removed three times the amount of lead from biosolids compared to conventional means and could reduce […]

FSU researchers develop thin heat shield for superfast aircraft

Published: November 12, 2019 | 1:48 pm | Posted in: Science & Technology

Professor Zhiyong (Richard) Liang and research faculty member Ayou Hao holding pieces of carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites coated with a protective heat shield made of a carbon nanotube sheet that was heated to a temperature of 1,900 degrees Celsius.

The world of aerospace increasingly relies on carbon fiber reinforced polymer composites to build the structures of satellites, rockets and jet aircraft. But the life of those materials is limited by how they handle heat. A team of FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers from Florida State University’s High-Performance Materials Institute is developing a design for […]

High-tech foam offers new tool for developing stem cells

Published: October 30, 2019 | 10:58 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

Two Florida State University researchers are developing a high-tech material currently used in athletic equipment and prosthetics into a special tool to better develop stem cells. The work could improve drug screening, disease modeling, precision medicine and cell therapy. FAMU-FSU College of Engineering researchers Yan Li, an associate professor in chemical and biomedical engineering, and […]

FSU recognizes 2019 Jim Moran Scholarship recipients

Published: October 18, 2019 | 9:41 am | Posted in: Business, Law & Policy

2019 Jim Moran Scholars Kiara Guerrier and Alejandro Robins with Jan Moran during a reception Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2019, at the Jim Moran Building in Tallahassee. (FSU Photography Services)

Florida State University recognized freshmen Kiara Guerrier and Alejandro Robins as 2019 Jim Moran Scholars Wednesday. Jim Moran Foundation Chairman and President Jan Moran and FSU President John Thrasher celebrated the scholars during a private reception held at the Jim Moran Building in downtown Tallahassee. Each year, the Jim Moran Foundation and FSU recognize two […]

FSU, Georgia Tech researchers partner to make direct current practical in high power applications

Published: October 2, 2019 | 8:34 am | Posted in: News

Direct current (DC) powers flashlights, smartphones and electric cars, but major power users depend on alternating current (AC), which cycles on and off 60 times per second. Among the reasons: AC is simple to turn off when there’s a problem – known as a fault – such as a tree falling on a power line. […]

DARPA taps engineering researcher for prestigious young faculty award

Published: August 14, 2019 | 9:21 am | Posted in: Science & Technology

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering Assistant Professor Kourosh Shoele has spent the early stages of his career going with the flow. That is, in the eight years since receiving his doctorate from the University of California San Diego, he’s conducted extensive research on the interactions between fluid and solid structures — or flow interactions — in […]

FAMU-FSU College of Engineering recognized nationally for diversity, inclusion efforts

Published: August 7, 2019 | 9:10 am | Posted in: University News

The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering is the joint engineering college for Florida State and Florida A&M Universities, the only such shared college in the nation. (Mark Wallheiser/FAMU-FSU Engineering)

The FAMU-FSU College of Engineering earned a Bronze award and Exemplar status from the American Society of Engineering Education (ASEE) in the inaugural year of the ASEE Diversity Recognition Program. The college is one of only two engineering programs in Florida to earn the distinctions. “This is a fantastic achievement for the FAMU-FSU College of […]

$3.3 million NIH grant to fund MagLab research

Published: July 18, 2019 | 1:44 pm | Posted in: Health & Medicine, Science & Technology

With a new grant from the National Institutes of Health, researchers at the Florida State University-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory will study the main mechanism behind one of the top causes of disability: migraines. The $3.3 million, five-year grant continues a collaboration that includes Sam Grant, a MagLab researcher and associate professor in the […]

Taking charge: Researchers team up to make better batteries

Published: July 12, 2019 | 11:07 am | Posted in: News, Science & Technology

A Florida State University and Cornell University research team found that batteries built from inexpensive and safe components can deliver three to four times the punch of batteries built with today’s state-of-the-art lithium ion technology. The researchers’ work is published today in Nature Communications. A. Nijamudheen, a postdoctoral researcher at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering, and […]

National MagLab creates world-record magnetic field with small, compact coil

Published: June 12, 2019 | 1:00 pm | Posted in: News, Science & Technology

MagLab researchers David Larbalestier, Seunyong Hahn and Iain Dixon developed a magnet that generated a 45.5 tesla magnetic field.

A novel magnet half the size of a cardboard toilet tissue roll usurped the title of “world’s strongest magnetic field” from the metal titan that had held it for two decades at the Florida State University-headquartered National High Magnetic Field Laboratory. And, its makers say, we ain’t seen nothing yet: By packing an exceptionally high-field […]

FSU art and engineering students collaborate on kid-friendly project for local nonprofit

Published: May 20, 2019 | 11:51 am | Posted in: Arts & Humanities, Science & Technology

From left to right: Owen Paul, Maddie Wishart, Associate Professor Jonathan Clark and Brianna Wylie show off their mechatronic installation. (Patricia Radulovich).

Engineering and art students might have more in common than people think. This spring, Florida State University brought students from the two disciplines together for a Mechatronic Art class, where they collaborated to design interactive stations for a creative play lab at The Sharing Tree, a local nonprofit. Mechatronics is an engineering field that brings […]