Mascaro Center for Sustainable Innovations

Alex Dale

Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisor: TBD
Research Interests: effective energy and electricity systems, redesigining infrastructure, the interaction between technology and behavior in achieving a sustainable world.

Justin DeBlois

Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Advisor: TBD
Research Interests: photovoltaic energy conversion and the optimization of solar thermal systems for domestic applications.

Candice DeLeo

Department: Chemical Engineering
Advisor:  Dr. Sachin Velankar
Research Interests: starch-based renewable polymer blends in hopes to improve durability and practical use while maintaining biodegradable properties.

Scott Gibb

Department: Chemical Engineering
Advisor:  Dr. Eric Beckman
Research Interests: looking at alternatives to PVC for piping; utilizing GaBi life cycle analysis (LCA) software to screen potential alternatives.

Rob Gradoville Jr.

Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Advisor: TBD
Research Interests: new and renewable wind technologies with an aim at providing support to rural communities in the developing world

Michael Ikeda

Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Advisor:  Dr. Laura Schaefer
Research Interests: sustainable energy research, specifically in developing societies.

Chuck Jewart

Department: Electrical and Computer Engineering
Advisor: Dr. Kevin P. Chen
Research Interests: finite element design of microstructural optical fibers for structural health monitoring and environmental sensing applications

Tony Kerzmann

Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Advisor:  Dr. Laura Schaefer
Research Interests: sustainable/alternative energy, microchannel flow and refrigeration, green construction.

Curtis Larimer

Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Advisors: Dr. Ian Nettleship
Research Interests: water treatments in developing countries, inexpensive clay ceramic water filters, silver nanoparticles as a disinfectant for drinking water and the mobility and effect of nanoparticles in the environment, particularly in water.

Danielle Miller

Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Advisor: Dr. Jeffery Vipperman
Research Interests: systems and controls, sustainable innovation and green building design and construction

Briana Niblick

Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisor: TBD
Research Interests: appropriate, low-tech water and sanitation systems in developing countries using local resources.

David Sanchez

Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisors: Dr. Radisav Vidic and Dr. Minhee Yun
Research Interests: high-tech low energy water and wastewater treatment systems, and studying the reuse of water in gridless systems.

Bhavna Sharma

Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisors: Dr. Kent Harries
Research Interests: sustainable development and hazard mitigation using indigenous materials and building techniques.

Scott Shrake

Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisors: Dr. Amy Landis
Research Interests: management research interests include renewable energy sources and reducing environmental impacts from human actions.

Cassie Thiel

Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisor: Dr. Melissa Bilec
Research Interests: sustainability and structures

David Torick

Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering
Advisors: Dr. Joe Marriott
Research Interests: hydrology with a focus on future impacts of current policies/practices on water quality.

---

Current GAANN Fellows

Patrick Bartlow

Department: Bioengineering
Advisors: Dr. Mohammad Attai
Research Interests: purification strategies for therapeutic recombinant proteins from bacterial hosts as well as expressing, purifying, and characterizing a novel fusion enzyme capable of carbon dioxide sequestration using cellulose as a adhesion substrate.

Veronica Miller

Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Advisor:  Dr. Laura Schaefer
Research Interests: hydrokinetic energy extraction modeling for a more environmentally friendly approach to hydropower extraction in support of a more sustainable energy system; also looking at cooperation in environmental sensory, vibration control, and advanced environmental measurementtools associated with these types of technologies.

Michelle Najera

Department: Chemical Engineering
Advisor: Dr. Goetz Veser
Research Interests: sustainable applications for chemical looping

Andrew Trapp

Department: Industrial Engineering
Advisor: Dr. Oleg Prokopyev
Research Interests: mathematical optimization using integer and stochastic programming.

Florian Zink

Department: Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science
Advisor:  Dr. Laura Schaefer
Research Interests: energy systems and heat transfer.