OU Engineering

Farrokh Mistree, Ph.D., L.A. Comp Chair in the School of Aerospace and Mechanical Engineering, has received an ICONNN Award from the International Conference series on Research into Design (ICoRD’23) organizing committee.  Mistree is one of two recipients globally selected for making outstanding contributions to the advancement of research and/or education in design. In January 2023, he will deliver a keynote titled “From Make to DESIGN and Make” at the ninth International Conference on Research Into Design at the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, India. “Design, in its ubiquitous and inter-disciplinary sense, is one of the fastest growing areas of research, education and practice. However, while there are numerous awards for design practitioners, there are very few awards to acknowledge and honor outstanding researchers and educators of design. These awards are a small step to addressing this gap,” said Amaresh Chakrabarti, conference and program chair.   ICoRD w...

There’s no doubt that today’s electric grid is aging and being pushed to do more than intended. Extreme weather, natural disasters and increased demand – all are taking a toll on America’s century-old infrastructure. Across the globe, hundreds of researchers have dedicated their careers to studying renewable energy to help reduce carbon emissions and energy independence. In September, University of Oklahoma assistant professor Jie Cai, Ph.D., and a team of researchers were awarded funding to study thermal energy storage in commercial and residential buildings to promote renewable energy utilization.  The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Energy through its Establish Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) . Cai’s project was one of 29 new projects nationwide to receive research funding totaling $21 million. The project is titled “Aging-Aware Management of Motorized Energy Storage for Grid Flexibility Provision.” Paul Moses, Ph.D., an assistant professor in OU’s S...

In 2023, the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma will open an interdisciplinary workforce education and research center to serve the growing biopharmaceutical industry in Oklahoma. Named the OU Bioprocessing Core Facility, the center will serve as a shared research resource in biopharmaceutical manufacturing and bioprocess engineering.  The proposed facility is part of the Oklahoma Biotech Innovation Cluster Initiative , a coalition spearheaded by the Greater Oklahoma City Chamber alongside partners, including OU, the Oklahoma City Innovation District and Echo Investment Capital. Oklahoma’s proposal was one of 21 out of 529 applicants selected nationally for the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Build Back Better Regional Challenge . John Klier, Ph.D. dean of the Gallogly College of Engineering, and Zahed Siddique, Ph.D., the college’s associate dean for research, lead the project. “The OU Bioprocessing Core Facility will provide University of Okl...

Cultural anthropologist Dawn Martin-Hill (shown in photo, fourth from left) is the recipient of the 2022 OU International Water Prize presented at the OU International WaTER Conference at First Americans Museum in Oklahoma City. An associate professor at McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, she was recognized for her contributions to understanding how water quality and security are linked to Indigenous community culture, livelihood and health. View program, presentations and photos. By Jim Chamberlain Dawn Martin-Hill is a storyteller because it is in stories where the truth lies. She tells one story of leading a water ceremony out on the west coast of the United States. One participant brought a pottery bowl that was engraved with “Water is Life” in many different languages. That bowl is a symbol of Martin-Hill's lifework – to honor and celebrate the sacramental gift that water is to all peoples using the stories and myths of her culture, the Haudenosaunee peoples of Canada’s S...

A research team, coordinated by the Oklahoma Aerospace and Defense Innovation Institute at the University of Oklahoma, is working with members of the 76th Maintenance Wing at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex to develop a novel chromium-free organic primer for aerospace applications. John Klier, Ph.D., dean of Gallogly College of Engineering and co-principal investigator for the research project, is leading the project alongside Brian Grady, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, in partnership with the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex. OC-ALC technical leads are Blake Yort and Ross Moseley. Currently, chromium compounds are added to paints and primers to provide protection against corrosion and create certain colors. Hexavalent chromium is a toxic form of chromium with can cause severe health effects to those exposed, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. “Hexavalent chromium is the benchmark in corrosion ...

Floods in 2022 have set records, and new research suggests that could become the norm. Summer 2022 has been an unprecedented one with five “1-in-1,000-year” floods experienced across the U.S.: St. Louis on July 26, Eastern Kentucky on July 28, Southeast Illinois on Aug. 1, Death Valley on Aug. 5 and Dallas on Aug. 22.  “The intense rainfall combined with conducive land surface conditions, known as impervious surfaces, have caused flash floods and widespread inundation in cities,” said Yang Hong, Ph.D., professor of hydrology and remote sensing in the School of Civil Engineering and Environmental Science in the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. “The continued warming climate and aging water infrastructure will exacerbate flood risks.” Hong is leading a research team with Zhi Li, Ph.D., and Jonathan Gourley, Ph.D., research hydrometeorologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Severe Storms Laboratory. Their latest st...