Headline News
College of Engineering Announces 2021 Ward Lecturer: Lillian Dukes ’87 MSEE
Engineers’ Week 2021 culminates on February 26 with the College’s annual Patrick J. Cunningham, Jr. and Susan Ward '80 Endowed Lecture Series in Engineering. The 2021 Ward lecturer is Lillian Dukes ’87 MSEE, a highly experienced senior operations leader who is currently senior vice president of Technical Operations at Atlas Air. She will address the College of Engineering community on “How Good Engineers Craft Great Careers.”
Villanova Engineering Experts Weigh In on Current Job Market Trends
Drs. Andrea Welker, associate dean of Academic Affairs, and Sridhar Santhanam, professor and chair, Mechanical Engineering, are among the academic leaders who contributed to Zippia.com’s advice piece for new and aspiring graduates on how they can launch their careers in an uncertain economic climate.
The Philly Company Working on a Wearable Device to Detect COVID-19 Symptoms | Philadelphia Magazine, Sept. 30, 2020
Working with Villanova Engineering alumna Dr. Nance Dicciani ’69 ChE, cofounder of RTM Vital Signs, Dr. Moeness Amin, director of the Center for Advanced Communications, has developed technology for a sensor that can detect whether someone may have early symptoms of COVID-19. The sensor is in the final stages of a clinical trial.
“PATHWAY TO STEM: STEM education has been a national priority for more than a decade, but have we moved the needle? | Mechanical Engineering Magazine, August 2020
STEM education was identified as a national crisis in a report from the National Acad¬emies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in 2005. In 2007, Congress passed a law intended, in part, to improve STEM teaching. Later, President Barack Obama tried to make STEM educa¬tion a priority. In this Mechanical Engineering article, Villanova Engineering Associate Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Andrea Welker contributed to the discussion on whether strides have been made.
NOVAMED: Providing Access to Lifesaving Medical Technology Around the Globe
Based on a firm belief that income should not determine who has access to lifesaving care, Villanova University has announced the establishment of NOVAMED: the Villanova Laboratory for Affordable Medical Technologies. This interdisciplinary lab is dedicated to developing open source, affordable, and globally available medical technologies for people in communities where the cost of such resources remains out of reach.
This Team Made a $500 Ventilator—but How Will It Be Used? | Wired, August 21, 2020
In March, Villanova Engineering’s Dr. C. Nataraj put together a volunteer SWAT team of engineering and medical talent to invent the ideal emergency ventilator that could operate with at least 80 percent of the function of a typical hospital ventilator, but at 20 percent or less of the cost. The development of NovaVent will benefit the developing world.
Center for Humanitarian Engineering and International Development to Deliver Innovative Learning Experiences with a Global Perspective
Building on the decade-long success of the Villanova Engineering Service Learning (VESL) program, the new Center will engage students in unique learning opportunities that reinforce engineering fundamentals, a commitment to life-long learning and service to society. In addition to integrating VESL’s service-learning opportunities into its auspices, the Center will establish research and academic programs—launching a new minor in Humanitarian Engineering—and will formalize a strategic partnership with the graduate program in Sustainable Engineering.
As Coronavirus Spreads Globally, These Researchers Are Designing Ventilators That Cost Less Than $1,000 | Forbes, 4/30/20
NovaVent is a low-cost, emergency ventilator developed by a group of Villanova University faculty and students in collaboration with Philadelphia-area medical professionals. According to project lead, Dr. C. Nataraj, this new device could be key for assisting in the event of a second wave of the Coronavirus in the U.S. or in low-income countries where ventilators are in desperately short supply.
Villanova Engineers Respond to a Pandemic
In March 2020—when everything changed—College of Engineering faculty and alumni began sharing their perspectives and their expertise on COVID-19. They have presented computational models in the search for an inhibitor; partnered with Philadelphia area hospitals to develop emergency ventilators; wrote about the potential for blockchain to help medical facilities stem the spread of the disease and shared their expectations for the global economy in light of the crisis.
Villanova University Appoints Michele Marcolongo, PhD, as the Drosdick Endowed Dean of the College of Engineering
Villanova University appointed Michele Marcolongo, PhD, as the Drosdick Endowed Dean of the College of Engineering, effective July 31. Dr. Marcolongo’s engineering career spans more than three decades and encompasses roles as an academician, researcher, administrator, inventor and entrepreneur.
Villanovans Launch Low-cost Ventilator Initiative
In response to the nationwide shortage of ventilators to treat critically ill coronavirus patients, a team of Villanova engineers has partnered with M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing graduate students and medical professionals from Geisinger Health System and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia to design, develop, test and validate a low-cost (< $500) machine to address the region’s needs.
College of Engineering’s 43rd Engineering Alumni Awards
On February 21, 2020, more than 150 alumni, faculty, staff, students and friends attended the 43rd Engineering Alumni Awards reception, hosted by the College of Engineering and the Engineering Alumni Society. The annual event celebrates the achievements of 13 exceptional engineering alumni who exemplify service, leadership, excellence, stewardship and technical advancements in the field of engineering.
Alumnus Shares Lessons Learned from Diverse Professional Experiences
Dr. Douglas Munch ’69 ChE addressed the Villanova University community as the 2020 Patrick J. Cunningham, Jr. and Susan Ward '80 Endowed Lecture Series in Engineering speaker. Through his lecture, “When I Grow Up: A Life’s Narrative,” several hundred students gleaned invaluable life lessons and career advice from this modern-day renaissance man whose path included contributing to space missions and fighter aircraft, completing medical school, leading biotech startups and more.
Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day 2020 Offers Opportunity to Explore STEM Careers
In Thomas Insights, a newsletter for those in industry, Dr. Andrea Welker, Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, spoke to Villanova’s efforts to attract more women to engineering.
Villanova Alumna Dr. Anne Roby ’86 Honored for Contributions to Global Industrial Gas Industry
College of Engineering alumna Anne Roby, PhD, ’86 ChE has been elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering, “For developments in oxidation processes and leadership in technological developments, safety, and business growth in global industrial gas companies.” NAE membership is one of the highest professional honors accorded an engineer.
Esteemed Academic Announces New Book “Freedom and Evolution” During Villanova Lecture
Dr. Adrian Bejan, the J. A. Jones Distinguished Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Duke University and the name behind constructal law, recently delivered a lecture at Villanova University during which he announced the release of his latest work: Freedom and Evolution: Hierarchy in Nature, Society and Science. Bejan was hosted by long-time collaborator Dr. Sylvie Lorente, College of Engineering Chair in Mechanical Engineering, with whom he co-authored Design with Constructal Theory.