UMBC researchers develop affordable incubator for vulnerable newborns in low-resource areas

Jan 6, 2016 / 2 minutes of reading

In low- and middle-income countries, gaps in healthcare infrastructure and high costs for medical supplies and services can mean high numbers of babies dying in their first week of life. Often, these deaths are due to “extremely preventable causes,” says Govind Rao, professor of chemical and biochemical engineering and director of the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST) at UMBC. Rao described for The Hindu, a major Indian newspaper, how he and a team of faculty and student researchers designed an affordable infant incubator that addresses two of the three leading causes of infant death (which include preterm birth, lack… Continue Reading UMBC researchers develop affordable incubator for vulnerable newborns in low-resource areas

UMBC students explain what environmental engineers do in video for international competition

Dec 23, 2015 / 2 minutes of reading

UMBC environmental engineering students have created a YouTube video to help middle and high school students and the broader public understand the kinds of work environmental engineers do and the impacts their work has on the world. They developed the video as part of a national competition hosted by the Association of Environmental Engineering and Science Professors (AEESP) with the theme “Environmental Engineers Protect Public and Ecological Health.” UMBC students Helena Gaifem ‘16, Ph.D., chemical and biochemical engineering; Nick Rogers ‘15, environmental engineering; Utsav Shashvatt ‘19, Ph.D., environmental engineering; and Kiranmayi Mangalgiri ‘16, Ph.D., environmental engineering, approached Lee Blaney, assistant… Continue Reading UMBC students explain what environmental engineers do in video for international competition

Inaugural Inventors’ Luncheon honors UMBC faculty innovators across disciplines

Dec 4, 2015 / 3 minutes of reading

UMBC’s inaugural Innovators Luncheon, held November 30, 2015, celebrated faculty innovators from across the university who are forging new paths in their fields. Sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research, Office of Technology Development (OTD), Office of Institutional Advancement (OIA), and bwtech@UMBC, the event acknowledged accomplishments of UMBC Technology Catalyst Fund (TCF) and Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) awardees. In addition to recognizing the TCF and MII awardees, five UMBC faculty were presented with awards for outstanding initiatives in disclosing their inventions. Christopher Geddes, professor of chemistry and biochemistry and director of the Institute of Fluorescence (IOF); Fow-Sen… Continue Reading Inaugural Inventors’ Luncheon honors UMBC faculty innovators across disciplines

Lee Blaney explains how technology can transform pollutants in chicken manure into a valuable product

Nov 10, 2015 / 1 minute of reading

While manure is often used as fertilizer for crops, regulations designed to protect the environment do not allow farmers to use untreated manure on fields that already saturated with elements like phosphorus. Lee Blaney, assistant professor in the department of chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering, is developing new technologies in his lab to remove phosphorus from agricultural waste, such as chicken litter, to transform it into two highly valuable products: processed animal litter that can be used as fertilizer and chemicals that can be sold to farmers with land that is deficient in rather than saturated with particular nutrients. Blaney… Continue Reading Lee Blaney explains how technology can transform pollutants in chicken manure into a valuable product

Helping kids with asthma breathe easier

Nov 5, 2015 / 4 minutes of reading

UMBC team to develop wearable system to track asthma triggers in pediatric patients. An innovative team of researchers working across engineering fields has received a nearly $2 million award from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) PRISMS program to develop a comprehensive system to monitor critical environmental asthma triggers and physiological status indicators for pediatric asthma patients. Living with asthma, a chronic disease caused by the inflammation of the airway, can substantially impact a person’s well-being and, if not controlled, can be life threatening. Asthma prevalence has increased over the past decade to now impact 25.7 million adults and 7.1… Continue Reading Helping kids with asthma breathe easier

Govind Rao discusses portable bioreactors developed to save lives on battlefields

Oct 30, 2015 / 1 minute of reading

Soldiers on the battlefield and first-responders in conflict zones will soon be able to save lives by using a portable, briefcase-sized tool that rapidly manufactures medicines. Govind Rao, professor of chemical and biochemical engineering and director of the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST) at UMBC, leads the research team behind this innovation. At the recent Bioprocess International conference, he called the system “beyond revolutionary,” reports BioPharma. “Welcome to the Betty Crocker world of bioprocessing,” said Rao. “Within a few hours you are expressing a high quality protein.” The product emerged from concerns that current methods for getting pharmaceutical supplies… Continue Reading Govind Rao discusses portable bioreactors developed to save lives on battlefields

UMBC researchers collaborate to improve sustainability, with impacts in Maryland and across the nation

Oct 23, 2015 / 3 minutes of reading

Local sustainability researchers and thought leaders took center stage on October 16, 2015, at a forum for urban sustainability in Baltimore, hosted by UMBC’s School of Public Policy. The forum was designed to examine how collaborations among government agencies, companies, and nonprofits can improve sustainability policies and programs. It also emphasized how a broad range of perspectives is needed to effectively assess and address environmental concerns. This isn’t news to Claire Welty, professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering and director of UMBC’s Center for Urban Environmental Research and Education. Welty is the associate director of research for the Urban… Continue Reading UMBC researchers collaborate to improve sustainability, with impacts in Maryland and across the nation

Dean Julia Ross receives “Outstanding Chemical Engineer” honor

Sep 28, 2015 / 2 minutes of reading

Purdue University has honored Dean Julia Ross of UMBC’s College of Engineering and IT as one of six Outstanding Chemical Engineers for 2015.Dean Ross is an alumna of Purdue and received her PhD in chemical engineering from Rice University in 1995. She has served as dean of COEIT since August 2014, and is also UMBC’s Constellation Professor of Information Technology and Engineering.Prior to her appointment as dean, Ross served as special assistant to the provost for inter-institutional research initiatives, 2012-14, and was instrumental in enhancing research collaborations between UMBC and the University of Maryland, Baltimore.Among her current projects, Dean Ross has collaborated… Continue Reading Dean Julia Ross receives “Outstanding Chemical Engineer” honor

Govind Rao, CBEE, Describes Medicines on Demand Research to Bioprocess Online

Jun 30, 2015 / 2 minutes of reading

When the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Battlefield Medicine site found that soldiers posted overseas can sometimes go months without biopharmaceuticals, they looked for a way to quickly produce pharmaceuticals on demand for wartime and disaster situations by seeking out research teams to address the problem. Govind Rao, chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering, is the principal investigator of one such research team focused on creating medicines on demand. He spoke to Bioprocess Online, a leading source of biotherapeutic industry and technical information, about his cutting edge research. Rao was initially skeptical about the feasibility of the project, but reached… Continue Reading Govind Rao, CBEE, Describes Medicines on Demand Research to Bioprocess Online

Upal Ghosh, CBEE, Receives AAEES Award

Apr 27, 2015 / 1 minute of reading

Upal Ghosh, chemical, biochemical and environmental engineering, received an award from the American Academy of Environmental Engineering and Sciences (AAEES) last week. The AAEES awards recognize individuals and organizations who have made contributions to environmental engineering, environmental science, and public health/environmental protection. Ghosh received an Honor Award in the category of University Research for his work with developing in-situ remediation technology using activated carbon amendment to sediment. CBEE graduate students Hilda Fadaei Khoei and Eli Patmont were also recognized for their contributions to the project. Ghosh has used the technology, named SediMite in his work with the Delaware Department of… Continue Reading Upal Ghosh, CBEE, Receives AAEES Award

Govind Rao, CAST, Receives Grant from the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation

Apr 17, 2015 / 1 minute of reading

Govind Rao, professor of chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering and director of the Center for Advanced Sensor Technology (CAST), received a $50,000 grant from the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation to automate and miniaturize a non-invasive respiration monitor for premature newborns. The National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation is funded by the Food and Drug Administration and led by the Children’s National Health System’s Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation and the University of Maryland’s A. James Clark School of Engineering. Rao presented the non-invasive respiration monitor at an event hosted by the University of Maryland,… Continue Reading Govind Rao, CAST, Receives Grant from the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation

Upal Ghosh, CBEE, Named Editor for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry

Apr 16, 2015 / 1 minute of reading

Upal Ghosh, chemical, biochemical, and environmental engineering, has been named as an editor for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry is a journal from the Society for Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, which takes a multidisciplinary approach to analyzing and solving environmental problems. Ghosh will be one of several editors and will focus on papers relating to environmental remediation and pollutant bioavailability.

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