Page 7 - ESM Connections: Penn State Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics 2020 newsletter

Engineering professor named editor-in-chief of of nondestructive evaluation journal
Parisa Shokouhi associate professor of of engineering science and and mechanics and and acoustics was named editor-in-chief of Research in in Nondestructive Evaluation (RNDE) the the research journal
of the the American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) MORE >>
Bacteria virus combo in in in in severe neonatal brain infections in in in in Uganda
A newly identified bacteria and a a a a a a a common virus may be the underlying cause of of infection-induced hydrocephalus in in in in in in Uganda
according to an an an international team of of of of researchers Steven J Schiff Brush Chair Professor of of of of of Engineering and and and professor of of of of engineering science and and and and mechanics neurosurgery and and and physics and and and his his research team have studied this problem for more than 10 years years but in in in the the last five years years they took a a a a a a a a a a a a a different approach using DNA and RNA sequencing techniques to identify the the causative agents The researchers found the the the bacteria was a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a previously unidentified strain of Paenibacillus thiaminolyticus now named Mbale after the the the the city where the the the the the the CURE Children’s Hospital is located While the the the the the the researchers believe they have found the the the the the the source of of the the the the the the infections that cause the the the the the the the high prevalence of of hydrocephalus they have not yet found where the the the the babies encounter the the the the new bacteria The researchers are are creating predictive models that coupled with data they are are now analyzing from thousands of infants and and satellite-acquired rainfall can predict optimal treatment for individual locations MORE >>
Jian Hsu named director of Joint Innovation Partnership in in Penn State SIRO
Jian Hsu professor of of of engineering science and mechanics was recently named director of of of the the Joint Innovation Partnership (JIP) in in in the the Penn State Strategic Interdisciplinary Research Office (SIRO) which reports to the senior vice president for research In this position he he will manage existing relationships with SIRO
partners in in in in joint innovation centers at at at at at various locations around the world and seek funding opportunities that promote joint research projects faculty exchange and graduate student training Imitating the brain to make computers more efficient
Computers can perform operations much faster than the the the human human brain brain and store more more information Despite these disadvantages the the the the human human brain brain is is is a a a a a a a a a a a a more more efficient
computer computer than the the the most sophisticated supercomputers—by a a a a a a a a a a a factor of of of a a a a a a a a a a a million according to to Saptarshi Das assistant professor of of of engineering science and and mechanics This efficiency
gap is is is a a a a a a a a a a result of of differences in in in energy consumption volume and and complexity of of computing according to Das With a a a a a a $690 000 grant from the U S Army Research Office (ARO) Das plans to to target each of those areas to to start closing that efficiency
gap MORE >>
Fluid from the the the brain taken at at surgery led to the the the recovery of of of of a a a a a a a a a a novel strain of of of of a a a a a a a a a a highly virulent bacteria shown shown on on on on the the the the tree of of of of life of of of of related organisms These infection cases shown shown as as as red dots on on on on on on the the the map are concentrated within a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a a region in in in in Eastern Uganda
characterized by wetlands and and and and and swamps on on on on on the the the north and and and and and south banks of of Lake Kyoga into and and and and and out out of of which the the Nile river flows CREDIT: SCHIFF LAB/Penn State 7