Four Clark School Professors Receive Competitive DURIP Grants

quantum

Four faculty members of the University of Maryland's A. James Clark School of Engineering have received funding through the Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP). DURIP supports university research in technical areas of interest to the Department of Defense (DoD) by providing funding for state-of-the-art research instrumentation necessary to carry out high-quality, cutting-edge research.

Stuart Laurence, "Ludwieg-Tube Extensions and Schlieren System"
Assistant Professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering

Laurence's research is an experimental investigation of high-speed fluid-structure interaction problems; specifically, examining the coupling between a flexible panel and the flowfield produced in a hypersonic shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction. The award covers extensions to the wind tunnel used to study this problem, as well as a schlieren flow visualization system. This research will be used to help understand the coupling between surface structural oscillations of hypersonic vehicles and the flowfield over them.

Marina Leite, "Near-Field Optical Microscopy"
Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science & Engineering
Fellow, Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics

Leite investigates materials for energy harvesting and storage—from their nanoscale structural, electrical, and optical properties to their device implementation. Through this DURIP award, she will inspect light–matter interactions in metallic nanostructures by means of near-field scanning optical microscopy. This disruptive approach will reveal the plasmon-induced effects of the metals during electrocatalytic reactions, enabling the understanding of the fundamental mechanisms associated with charge transfer within these systems.

Michael Pecht, "Ultrasound Sensing for Battery State of Health"
George E. Dieter Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
Director, Center for Advanced Life Cycle Engineering

Pecht, along with UMD Postdoctoral Associate Yinjiao Xing, will research ultrasonic testing for lithium-ion (li-ion) batteries. Li-ion batteries provide higher energy and voltage than other batteries, but are prone to failure and hazards. Pecht's ultrasonic testing is non-destructive to the battery and will help determine the state of health for li-ion batteries and what causes these batteries to fail.

Edo Waks, "Tunable Laser System & Low-Temperature Magneto-Optical Microscope"
Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
Fellow, Institute for Research in Electronics and Applied Physics and Joint Quantum Institute

Waks's research focuses on quantum photonics, quantum information, strongly interacting light-matter systems, and nanophotonics. Through this DURIP award, he will develop an ultra low-temperature spectroscopy system to characterize and control quantum materials. This work will develop new quantum memories in a solid-state chip-integrated device that could enable scalable quantum technology in a semiconductor platform. This DURIP award will support a recently funded Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative of certifiable quantum systems, also funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

The A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland serves as the catalyst for high-quality research, innovation, and learning, delivering on a promise that all graduates will leave ready to impact the Grand Challenges (energy, environment, security, and human health) of the 21st century. The Clark School is dedicated to leading and transforming the engineering discipline and profession, to accelerating entrepreneurship, and to transforming research and learning activities into new innovations that benefit millions. Visit us online at www.eng.umd.edu and follow us on Twitter @ClarkSchool.

Published April 13, 2018