Villanova Engineering Doctoral Student Wins Industry Scholarship

Mechanical Engineering Department Chair and Professor Dr. Sridhar Santhanam with scholarship recipient Ji Lang; Thomas O’Brien, representing STLE; and Associate Professor Dr. Qianhong Wu, who serves as Ji’s advisor.

Ji Lang, a Villanova University doctoral student in Mechanical Engineering, was awarded a $1,500 scholarship from the Philadelphia Section of the Society of Tribologists & Engineers (STLE) in recognition of his academic achievements and research. Mr. Thomas O’Brien, former STLE chair and an account manager for Lubrizol, presented Ji with a check during a visit to the College of Engineering.

A branch of mechanical engineering and materials science, tribology is the study of the science and engineering of interacting surfaces in relative motion. It includes the study and application of the principles of friction, lubrication and wear. Ji’s doctoral research is applying lessons from biological systems to develop a new type of soft porous damper (a thin porous material, which could be made of polymer or fibers) with superior damping and lubrication performance. He has performed extensive analytical, numerical and experimental studies on a novel experimental setup he designed and constructed to simulate fluid response during sudden impact on joint cartilage. Advised by Associate Professor and Director of the Cellular Biomechanics and Sports Science Laboratory Qianhong Wu, PhD, Ji says, “Without Dr. Wu’s support, I would not have won this award.”

Bill Tuszynski, PhD, a partner with the Unami Group and chair of the STLE’s scholarship committee praised Ji’s accomplishments, “Quality students such as Ji show that the future of tribology research is in good hands.” In addition to being featured on the Philadelphia STLE website, Ji’s work will be included in a future issue of Tribology & Lubrication Technology, STLE’s monthly magazine. Scholarship awardees also are invited to present their work at one of the chapter’s monthly section meetings, which offer education, networking opportunities and fellowship.

The Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers is one of the largest professional societies in the field of lubrication and serves 15,000 industry professionals worldwide. Its mission is to advance the science of tribology and the practice of lubrication engineering in order to foster innovation, improve the performance of equipment and products, conserve resources and protect the environment. The local Philadelphia chapter is among the largest chapters in the world and its primary mission is fundraising to provide scholarship awards to worthy science and engineering students in the greater Philadelphia region.