A knowledge gap in the development of alternative aviation fuels led to the creation of the Fuel Laboratory of Renewable Energy (FLORE), a new interdisciplinary research lab in Purdue’s Potter Engineering Center directed by Gozdem Kilaz, assistant professor of engineering technology.

Victor Chen, assistant professor of computer graphics technology, specializes in information visualization. He converts abstract data into images which are complex yet understandable. Each graphic Chen creates is as individual as its underlying data, with the resulting images resembling elegant, mechanical snowflakes.

Petr Vozka, a graduate student in the School of Engineering Technology, hopes to make the certification process for alternative fuels easier by constructing bridges between fuel chemistry and performance.

Jorge León, a graduate research assistant working with José Garcia-Bravo in the School of Engineering Technology, hopes to use hydraulic devices and fuzzy logic theory to maximize the energy efficiency in electric busses.

Xingtao Liu, graduate teaching assistant in engineering technology, conducts research with Xiaoming Wang, assistant professor of engineering technology, on how grain refinement occurs in aluminum. With this information, the aluminum casting industry may create fewer defects, improve product quality and reduce energy usage during manufacturing.

By characterizing and enhancing the material properties of dielectric electroactive polymers, Brittany Newell, assistant professor of engineering technology, develops sensors that can send information and react to specific conditions. These sensors can be used to notify technicians and postpone failure in industrial and medical applications.

Baijian “Justin” Yang, associate professor of computer and information technology, aims to educate students and practitioners about cybersecurity threats before they are confronted with a real security breach.

Manufacturers are moving from paper drawings to digital models of their products and parts. The ability to include more data within these models has created some concerns within the manufacturing industry.

Daniel Leon-Salas, associate professor of engineering technology, wants his camera’s light sensor to do more. His research focuses on using the light sensor as a type of solar cell that can harvest energy when it isn’t capturing images. With this advance, cameras could produce their own energy, making it easier to deploy these sensors with less infrastructure.