Dr. Robert Gao Awarded NSF GOALI
Dr. Robert X. Gao, the Pratt & Whitney Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and colleagues have received a three-year National Science Foundation GOALI (Grant Opportunities For Academic Liaison With Industry) grant to support collaborative research aimed at improving spare parts inventory management in the aircraft industry. UConn shares this three-year, $450,000 award with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Pratt & Whitney is the industry partner on the project. NSF developed the GOALI program as a means to catalyze industry-university partnerships and thus help to ensure that “intellectual capital and emerging technologies are brought together in ways that promote economic growth and an improved quality of life.” Dr. Gao explains that the goal of the project is to develop the basic science and practical tools to transform sensor measurements collected from a large number of distributed machines (such as jet engines) in the field into forecasting methodologies – along with inventory policies – for the spare parts required to maintain the equipment. To achieve this goal, the researchers, aided by their colleagues at Pratt & Whitney, will conduct research along four pathways:
- Develop advanced sensing and signal interpretation methods to diagnose the
health status of specific engine parts before they require replacement (versus the prevailing techniques that indicate the overall health of an engine only); - Develop models that transform measurement data into predictions of time-to-overhaul and resource requirements;
- Develop algorithms that forecast part needs, and inventory policies that aggregate this information across equipment, with consideration to field usage and economic conditions; and finally,
- Create a simulation tool for the monitoring and maintenance of a large fleet to validate the methodology.
The research will culminate in improved forecasting and inventory management for commercial engine spare parts. Beyond these specific technical advancements, Dr. Gao says the project will “determine the economic impact of advanced sensing and predicting methodologies and the resulting improvement in decision-making, and potentially make the case for their pervasive installation. Although the developed models will primarily be validated within Pratt & Whitney’s business units, the models and methods will be beneficial to a wide array of manufacturing firms for whom after-sale service is a critical component of their business.” In addition to this GOALI research, Dr. Gao has received several other NSF grants since joining UConn in 2008 that focus on advancing the science base of sensing physics for advanced manufacturing (such as electrically-assisted precision micro-rolling and multivariate injection molding control) and building the cyber-physical infrastructure for a “Smart City.”
Leila Ladani joins the Mechanical Engineering Department. Dr. Ladani received her PhD at the University of Maryland in 2007. Her research expertise spans additive manufacturing, manufacturing of nanomaterial and micro/nanoelectronics, material characterization and mechanics, and multi-scale modeling and simulation. Most recently, she was an assistant professor at the University of Alabama.
Department. He received his PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in 2011 and brings expertise in thermal transport physics at the micro- and nano-scale, and engineering of materials at the nanoscale for energy conversion and storage applications. Dr. Pettes was a post-doctoral researcher at UT Austin prior to joining UConn. Earlier, he served as an infantry officer in the United States Marine Corps.
David Pierce joins the Mechanical Engineering Department and the Department of Mathematics. He received his PhD from Stanford University in 2007. Dr. Pierce’s research expertise includes computational and experimental solid (bio)mechanics, finite element methods, biomechanics of cartilage and arteries, reliability prediction and design tools for MEMs. He was an assistant professor and Vice Head of the Institute of Biomechanics at Graz University of Technology, Austria.
Dr. Barber has served as a professor-in-residence in the Mechanical Engineering Department since joining UConn in 2000. He enjoyed a distinguished career with Pratt & Whitney and the United Technologies Research Center prior to joining UConn. Dr. Barber is an Associate Fellow of AIAA and a member of ASME, and he has served as an Associate Editor of the AIAA Journal for Propulsion and Power. His induction into CASE recognizes his contributions to computational fluid mechanics, his leadership in expanding and managing the professional Master of Engineering (MENG) degree program and oversight and expansion of the Mechanical Engineering senior design program.
to understanding micro- and nano-structure induced transport phenomena in energy, photonics and semiconductor materials. Dr. Chiu’s honors include the Rutgers University School of Engineering Medal of Excellence Award for Distinguished Young Alumni, the ASME Bergles-Rohsenow Young Investigator Award in Heat Transfer, the U.S. Army Research Office Young Investigator Award, a National Science Foundation CAREER Award and the Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award. He is an Associate Editor of the ASME Journal of Heat Transfer and the International Journal of Thermal Sciences.
Keith Berger (B.S. Mechanical Engineering, M.S. Metallurgy & Materials Engineering, ’93, ’98) has been named a Managing Director at BlueWaters Investment Group (BWG), a new Atlanta-based private equity fund. His prior experience includes leadership positions at Booz & Company, General Electric and Nokia followed by Research in Motion (now Blackberry) and Endeavor Telecom. He is certified in GE Six Sigma and GE Lean principles.
Frederick M. Carlson (B.S.E., M.S., Mechanical Engineering ’63, ’64; Ph.D., Electrical Engineering ’75), Associate Professor of Mechanical and Aeronautical Engineering, was named a Professor Emeritus at Clarkson University, his academic home of 38 years. Dr. Carlson is credited with educating “several generations of undergraduates, developing important courses that introduced students to finite element methodology and new analytical software and engineering applications.” Dr. Carlson established a highly regarded program in the field of heat transfer in crystal growth, and was one of the reasons that Clarkson University, through the Center for Advanced Materials Processing, was selected by NASA to head up the NASA/Crystal Growth Consortium.
John Krenicki, Jr. (B.S. Mechanical Engineering ’84) was named interim chief executive officer of The ServiceMaster Company in April 2013. He also serves as Chairman of ServiceMaster, which was acquired by Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, LLC (CD&R) in July 2007. John joined CD&R in 2013 after a 29-year career at General Electric. At CD&R, he is a member of the team of senior operating executives who are responsible for leading initiatives to help portfolio companies increase top-line growth, improve operating efficiency and build strong management teams, as well as identify and evaluate new investment opportunities. 
UConn Engineering was well represented during the Second Annual Celebration of Innovation, presented by the UConn Office of Economic Development on April 10th. The gala event (see event photos 
D.E. Crow Innovation Prize at UConn, which helps engineering students turn their entrepreneurial inspirations into marketable products through seed funding. Dr. Crow joined Pratt & Whitney in 1966 and rose to the position of Senior Vice President of the company’s Engineering, where he oversaw 6,600 engineers responsible for the design, development, validation and certification of all Pratt & Whitney large commercial engines, military engines and rocket products. Earlier, he se