Mechanical Engineering Department celebrates achievements amid COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the globe in early 2020, Binghamton University’s Thomas J. Watson School of Engineering and Applied Science went virtual for students, faculty and staff.

The Department of Mechanical Engineering stepped up to the challenges and attained notable achievements during the 2019-20 academic year.

Research news

• Assistant Professor Scott Schiffres received attention online with a series of videos discussing the different types of face masks available to protect against COVID-19. He and his students will publish research about their findings soon.
• Assistant Professor Pu Zhang published research on the first liquid metal lattice in the world, which combines Field’s alloy with a silicone shell. By creating a variety of forms using the lattice, Zhang demonstrated how the items return to their original shapes after melting or impact. The research could be used in many ways, such as for space probes or robotics.
• Associate Professor Shahrzad “Sherry” Towfighian and Distinguished Professor Ronald N. Miles are continuing their research on a new type of MEMS (microelectromechanical system) that allows better control, building an air-pressure sensor that could improve many everyday devices.
• A team from Binghamton University, the Brookhaven National Laboratory and the National Institute of Standards and Technology — led by Professor Guangwen Zhou — has a new way to look deeper into how gas molecules affect the atoms beneath the surface of a material. The reactions between hydrogen and copper oxide were studied using atomic-scale transmission electron microscopy, allowing researchers to see the surface and subsurface simultaneously and in real time.

Student news

• As the coronavirus pandemic gained momentum across New York and the rest of the U.S. in April, ME junior Jacob Goodman constructed a working ventilator in his residence hall built mainly from parts he purchased at Walmart. The ingenious part of the design is a gear system that modulates the patient’s breathing pattern. Goodman designed and printed it using his own 3D printer.
• A story in the Watson Review magazine highlighted some of the best senior capstone projects from throughout the Watson School. The mechanical engineering project sought to make a better firehose that would minimize kinking and water blockage.
• Binghamton Motorsports’ Formula racing team, primarily made up of ME students, competed as a student group rather than a senior project for the first time during the 2019-20 academic year. During the fall semester, the team had to temporarily relocate because of renovations in the Engineering Building, but team members moved into the newly christened Fabrication Lab in the spring. For the first time, the space has its own garage door for easy access.
• Although this spring’s Commencement ceremonies were postponed, the University spotlighted 2020 graduates and their accomplishments. Among them was Rebecca Loibl ‘18, MS ’20, who discussed why Binghamton was the right choice for her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She is starting a job this fall at Pall Corp. near Cortland, N.Y. Congrats, Rebecca!