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Inside a new 25,000-square-foot facility developed by the University of Dayton Research Institute, you'll find a hub for new and emerging energy technologies.

The Energy Experience Center is a high-tech test bed, development and training facility, designed to generate its own power. Industrial batteries collect and store extra energy produced by solar panels and wind turbines to provide DC power when sun and wind are scarce. And the control center? It's an award-winning, energy-efficient, solar-powered mobile house.

“We even plan to offer how-to classes to electricians, homeowners and others who want to learn how to work in advanced and alternative energy technologies ...”

Advanced hardware and software at the control center will allow researchers to program a variety of energy scenarios and simulate power sources, such as sun and wind, when they're not available. Simulations will allow researchers to run critical tests — initiating a complete power failure, for instance — without actually interrupting operations at a functioning installation.

"Simulating conditions such as extreme lightning, blackouts and dangerous power levels — but without the real danger — will allow us to see how equipment is impacted, at what point the grid begins to destabilize, and what needs to be done to ensure grid stability," said Eric Lang, a senior research scientist in UDRI's Energy Technologies and Materials division.

Research performed at the Energy Experience Center will also support the Air Force in its quest for cleaner, more affordable and resilient energy technologies for remote installations.

"By the nature of their remote locations, often in harsh or contested environments, forward operating bases rely heavily on power generators fueled by diesel, which has to be delivered by convoy," Lang said. "Employing more efficient and advanced energy technologies at remote sites can significantly reduce the need for diesel, which means fewer service men and women will have to risk potentially hazardous travel by convoy."

In addition to supporting the Air Force's mission to safeguard its troops and reduce its carbon footprint, the Energy Experience Center will be used to train members of the military and energy industry who want to integrate new or better technologies into their products. The center will also serve as an educational resource to UD faculty and students.

"We even plan to offer how-to classes to electricians, homeowners and others who want to learn how to work in advanced and alternative energy technologies, such as solar and wind power, or adopt these alternative energy resources for their own use," said Lang.

Anticipated future phases of the Energy Experience Center include adding research and development in geothermal, hydrogen and other alternative energy sources; electric vehicles; and areas of cybersecurity for grid protection.

Once known only as the slimy scourge of backyard ponds and lakes, algae is emerging as a superhero in the race for cleaner and renewable energy resources. But this hero is not without its Achilles' heel: algae is vulnerable to fluctuations in weather and temperature, limiting commercial growers and researchers in their selection of growing systems and locations.

“The University of Dayton Research Institute has developed the technology to generate a cost-competitive biofuel intermediate in the United States,”

But researchers at the University of Dayton Research Institute are addressing that limitation — and producing a high volume of algae in an outdoor, fully automated, closed system designed to operate 24/7, 365, regardless of the weather.

"Our goal was to design and build an economical and efficient system that could be transported anywhere, easily assembled and operate in any climate, and we’ve done just that," said Sukh Sidhu, head of UDRI’s energy technologies and materials division. "This is all about cleaner air, cleaner water and cleaner energies."

"Algae feeds on carbon dioxide and converts it to a highly desirable oil, which accounts for as much as 70 percent of the organism's body weight in some strains. So we can capture carbon dioxide from stacks of coal boilers and other combustion processes before it’s released into the atmosphere and run it through algae growing systems. We consider this a far better alternative for dealing with CO2 emissions than geosequestration, where carbon dioxide is pumped deep into the earth."

In turn algae oil can be extracted and, along with the proteins and carbohydrates that also make up the body of algae, used to create renewable resources for biofuel.

"We discovered that there are no 'best strains' of algae, but that the key factors to high yield are environmental — factors such as weather and temperature, which can be so unpredictable," Sidhu said. "That's why most systems are open, such as natural or man-made ponds, and found in warmer climates.

"And that's why our system is different. It will operate well in any location, regardless of season or climate."

Aside from being more cost-efficient, UDRI’s growing process is "greener" than other systems, using livestock manure instead of chemical fertilizer as a nutrient source for the algae.

After demonstrating the technology, which includes proprietary design modifications engineered by program principal investigator Moshan Kahandawala, the next step will be commercialization.

"The University of Dayton Research Institute has developed the technology to generate a cost-competitive biofuel intermediate in the United States," Sidhu said. "We've taken it from beakers and jars in the lab to full-size and fully operational modules that can be transitioned to the marketplace for commercial use. And we’re pretty proud of that."

UDRI has been performing research, testing and development of algae and algae-growing systems for pollution control and alternative energies since 2009 under funding from the Air Force Research Laboratory Materials and Manufacturing Directorate. 

In early February, NASA scientists narrowed down potential landing sites for Mars 2020 to three — Northeast Syrtis, Jezero Crater and Columbia Hills — at least one of which is likely to be warmer than sites where previous rovers have landed. Simultaneously, researchers at the University of Dayton Research Institute performed a high-temperature qualifying test on a power generator prototype to see if it would successfully operate at the higher temperatures that may be experienced by the generator powering the next rover.

“There are only three of this type of MMRTG. Two are here at UD, and the third is on Mars.”

The Mars 2020 rover will be powered by a Multi-Mission Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generator (MMRTG) —similar to the unit currently providing power to Curiosity in Gale Crater — which converts heat created by naturally decaying plutonium radioisotopes into electricity to power the rover’s instruments, computers, wheels, robotic arm and radio. The heat generated by the MMRTG also keeps the rover's mechanical, computer and communication systems at operating temperature, even as the Martian nights dip to as low as minus 150 F.

UDRI houses two MMRTG qualification units that are identical to Curiosity's generator, except they are powered and heated with electricity rather than plutonium. For the last three years, researchers have been designing and running experiments to provide NASA with critical information related to Curiosity's continued exploration, as well as in support of Mars 2020 and other future missions.

And so with cots and sleeping bags handy, UDRI scientist Chad Barklay and UES (Beavercreek) engineer Allen Tolston spent 36 hours camped next to one of the generators — sleeping only 2.5 hours each during the test — while they heated the unit to 428 F, approximately 100 degrees higher than the max temperature Curiosity’s generator experiences. They held the unit at that temperature for 24 hours, prepared to quickly shut down the experiment if they observed any behavior that threatened the system.

Barklay said the test was necessary because at least one of the potential landing sites for the Mars 2020 rover is warmer than Gale Crater, where Curiosity is exploring. "The maximum temperature at Gale Crater is about 32 F during the day, but it could be up to 35 degrees warmer at Columbia Hills," he said. “Although that doesn't sound like much, an increased Martian surface temperature means the surface of the MMRTG could potentially get much hotter."

The experiment, supported by additional UDRI researchers and attended by representatives of Teledyne Energy Systems, Aerojet Rocketdyne and Oak Ridge National Laboratory — who also had an interest in its outcome — was highly successful, Barklay said. "It went better than anybody could have hoped. Everyone was very impressed with our ability to design and develop a test setup and protocols that were unlike anything ever done before. We were very pleased.”

NASA is expected to select a landing site for the mission in the next two years. Mars 2020 is targeted for launch in July 2020.

The University of Dayton looked at a former brownfield site adjacent to its campus and saw opportunity. On land now owned by the University, two Fortune 500 companies — GE Aviation and Emerson — have established research and development facilities.

In 2013, GE opened the GE Aviation Electrical Power Integrated Systems Center. Inside, University of Dayton researchers and graduate students work side by side with GE Aviation scientists and engineers to create advanced electrical power technologies such as new power systems for aircraft, longer-range electric cars and smarter utility power grids for more efficient delivery of electricity. 

"Nowhere else will you find a similar facility where academic researchers and industry participants can come together under one roof [...]"

"We toured 11 other possible sites in the Dayton area, but being next to the University of Dayton was what clinched it for us," said Vic Bonneau, president of Electrical Power Systems for GE Aviation.

University president Eric Spina, himself an aerospace engineer, said Bonneau has praised the agility and problem-solving abilities of UD researchers at the EPISCenter. “While engineers were testing a new power-generation system in the EPISCenter, they discovered a vibration issue at extremely high speeds. One of our researchers offered to assemble an interdisciplinary team of colleagues and students, who quickly developed a real-time software solution to fix the problem,” Spina said. 

The collaborative nature of the University’s culture has nurtured its nearly four-decade relationship with Emerson, a company best known for air conditioning and refrigeration technologies. 

The Helix is Emerson’s premier innovation center where UD students and faculty work with Emerson engineers and industry leaders to develop innovations in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and refrigeration industry. The 40,000-square-foot center contains six simulated environments that provide UD students a real-world refrigeration research playground they can’t find anywhere else — a fully functioning and furnished home, model supermarket, light commercial environment, commercial kitchen, data center, and industrial refrigeration system. 

"This facility fills a real and critical need for the HVACR industry today,” said Ken Monnier '83, chief technology officer for Emerson's commercial and residential solutions business. "Nowhere else will you find a similar facility where academic researchers and industry participants can come together under one roof to discuss, develop and test technology solutions through various real-world applications. Here, new game-changing technologies and services will be conceived and tested to create beneficial change in our industry and world." 

In fact, the collaboration has already resulted in a patent application – for an ice machine simulator which is designed to help achieve the U.S. Department of Energy's target of reducing energy in ice machines by 10-15 percent by 2018.

With the help of some bricks and hard work.

Eight thousand miles from the University Dayton, Wasambo High School is rising from foundations in the green hillside overlooking Lake Malawi.

It will serve as an experiential learning hub for University students while also helping meet the needs of the people of Sangilo Village, Karonga District, Malawi. In the eastern African nation, the median age is 16 1/2 years old and only 18 percent of primary school graduates continue on to high school.

The school was built out of needs articulated by local people in their conversations with UD students involved with the University's Malawi Practicum on Research and Development.

"Their research gives credibility to our mission and influences the direction we take our programming."

"It's amazing when we have our UD students here, as they can dig into an issue and, with their Malawian counterparts, help us understand where we should focus our efforts," said Matt Maroon '06, founder of the Malawi-based nongovernmental organization Determined to Develop. "Their research gives credibility to our mission and influences the direction we take our programming."

University research and development to improve the human condition in Malawi has been a team effort since 2010. In the last year, students from the School of Engineering ETHOS program have surveyed land for the school site and helped with plans and construction. Faculty and students from UD's teacher education program are developing training and curriculum materials. And students and alumni have contributed funds to support the building of Wasambo school to benefit students both in Malawi and Dayton. 

As an experiential learning hub, the school will showcase the University's transdisciplinary, liberal-arts education guided by the Marianist spirit of partner-based community building.

"It's a reflection of the commitment and passion of the community in Malawi, of Matt and of the different programs at UD,” said Jason Pierce, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. "It's really quite exciting. It's terrific experiential learning for our students, and it resonates deeply with the mission of the Marianists."

Construction began in September 2016. The boys' school and dormitory and houses for teachers, staff and volunteers will be complete when school begins Sept. 1, 2017. A second phase will include a girls’ school and dormitory. When the boarding school reaches full capacity, it will educate more than 300 students annually.

James Mayni, 14, is excited that his dream of continuing his education is so close to reality: "I will keep hoping that my next chapter of my life at Wasambo High School awaits."

In her two decades of experience in the field of school psychology, Susan Davies, associate professor of counselor education and human services, has seen the consequences of concussions left unaddressed. 

After sustaining a brain injury, students may experience learning and behavioral difficulties, she said, but "because educators weren't often well-trained in identifying and understanding brain injuries, these students were not receiving the school-based supports and services they needed in order to be successful."

"Concussions aren't just a sports thing; educators often don't make the link between a child’s fall from the monkey bars and her lack of attention in a kindergarten class." Her mission? To use her research to educate those who work in schools — as well as the parents and students themselves — to identify injuries, acknowledge their myriad impacts and create a community of care to help the students return to learn. In addition to authoring Managing Concussions in Schools: A Guide to Recognition, Response, and Leadership, Davies offers training, sponsored by the Ohio Department of Health, that school-based professionals and health care providers can take back to their schools.

"My strategy with schools for concussion cases is helping them understand that if they have the right supports and adjustments to the workload and academic environments in place, those kids can get better in a few days or weeks," Davies said. "On the other hand, if students come back to an educational environment that is not understanding their unique needs, it can really do some physical damage and prolong their recovery."

Although managing traumatic brain injury in school settings has been Davies' area of research for more than 10 years, she's seen an uptick in interest during the last five with the national attention on sports-related concussions. "But you can't forget about these kids who've fallen, been in fights or been in car accidents. Concussions aren't just a sports thing," she said, adding that educators often don't make the link between a child’s fall from the monkey bars and her lack of attention in a kindergarten class.

Can the common fruit fly (Drosophila) provide a better understanding into how Alzheimer's disease affects the human brain? In a single word: Yes.

Just ask Matt Riccetti, a biology major, who is working in the lab of Amit Singh, associate professor of biology.

"We are taking the human Alzheimer's protein and introducing it to the Drosophila's eye," Riccetti explained. "The eye is made up of a number of photoreceptor neurons that show similar reactions to that of the human brain. We can then monitor the degradation of these neurons due to the introduction of the Alzheimer’s protein, which exhibits the effects and degradation that occurs in a human brain with the Alzheimer's disease."

"I wholeheartedly believe that no one creates opportunities for undergraduate research the way UD does."

Once their lab gains a better understanding of the pathology of the disease and the way it affects the brain, they will look for either other proteins or drugs that will target the disease state.

This type of research is useful because flies are very quick to reproduce and share 70 percent of disease-related genes with humans. Once the lab identifies possible solutions and treatments for the disease, it is their goal to have their research used in future clinical trials and other related programs.

Riccetti said the research he has done in Singh's lab has given him a new passion – not to mention top honors. Riccetti was one of seven undergraduates across North America to earn the prestigious Victoria Finnerty undergraduate travel award and attended the 58^th Drosophila Research Conference, an international meeting that brings together Drosophila geneticists for intense discussion about their cutting-edge research and its impact on human health.

"This is an incredible award and honor both for Matt and for Dr. Singh's lab," said Mark Nielsen, Department of Biology chair. "The Drosophila Research Conference is one of the largest international science meetings and for Matt to win this award shows the quality of Dr. Singh’s lab and the ability that he has to raise young people into science research. I wholeheartedly believe that no one creates opportunities for undergraduate research the way UD does, which is due to the culture of our department, the passion of our faculty and ultimately the passion of our students."

Located less than 2 miles from the University's campus, Twin Towers is a community where 63 percent of the children live below the poverty level, more than double the statewide average. The neighborhood's population boomed during World War II, but that all changed in 1962 with the construction of U.S. Route 35 through Dayton, which forced thousands of Twin Towers families to relocate and many of its businesses and industries to close.

"The University of Dayton really stresses being part of your community [...] I think a lot of people embrace that idea and want to come out and help."

But today, citizens are reclaiming their neighborhood. And a partnership among the University of Dayton, East End Community Services and Mission of Mary Cooperative is working to transform the former Lincoln Elementary School site into an urban farm and greenspace.

Dubbed Lincoln Hill Gardens, the 5-acre site is the first high-profile project for the University's Hanley Sustainability Institute. Established in 2014 with a $12.5 million gift from the George and Amanda Hanley Foundation, the institute aims to extend the University’s sustainability efforts across campus and into the Dayton community.

In addition to urban food production, Lincoln Hill Gardens will allow students to work on projects that meet both learning goals and community needs, said Kelly Bohrer '96, '01, director of community-engaged learning in the University’s Fitz Center for Leadership in Community.

For example, students in Bohrer's sustainability research classes designed possible site elements, including aquaponics and composting facilities, that were presented to MKSK, the chosen architecture and design firm. In addition, students in associate professor Suki Kwon’s art and design course worked with Niels Braam, MKSK’s environmental graphic designer, to develop branding and signage proposals.

"The University of Dayton really stresses being part of your community and the service aspect and working together," said volunteer Léa Dolimier '16, who graduated with a B.S. in environmental biology and a minor in sustainability.  "I think a lot of people embrace that idea and want to come out and help."

Already, the first phase — construction of an urban agriculture education facility — is nearly complete, and hoop houses are home to crops of tomatoes, peppers, beets, summer squash and eggplant. The second phase will add community garden plots. A nature playscape, sculpture hill with walking paths, wetland exploration area, education kitchen and performance pavilion will follow.

Engineering researcher Kristen Comfort won a five-year, $542,000 National Science Foundation CAREER award to support her quest to build a cellular model that acts more like a human body, allowing for a better understanding and visualization of human-drug interactions. Her research could lead to better ways to deliver medicine straight to the source of an illness – a malignant tumor or infection — without the cost and ethical concerns of animal testing.

Comfort has tested 3-D cultures, multicellular systems and fluid flow models individually, but she wants to use her award to tie it all together. Comfort will set up the systems in her first year and use the rest of the term to examine how nanomaterials, tiny particles used to deliver medications in the body, interact with the systems.

"It's more than just the results; for students, it’s also about the experience."

"Traditional tissue cultures are typically static. You sit them in an incubator and they stay there. These cultures are two-dimensional, grown in a single layer," Comfort said."But humans are 3-D beings with systems where everything is moving. I want to use this grant to build a 3-D scaffold to support cell culture systems that mimic a human's physiological flow using a pump to reproduce capillary flow rates."

One model will have lung, liver and skin components to replicate how people inhale a material, which is filtered through the liver and settles in the skin. Another planned model will replicate an immune system. Comfort also hopes to have those systems communicate with each other.

This new system could allow for a faster way to screen potential drugs without the use of animals.

"Expanding from a simple cell system to a large animal system is where most models fall apart," Comfort said. "In addition to ethical issues, the large number of nanomaterials and drugs that need to be tested means animal testing is not always an option. In our system, in addition to determining how the cells respond, we can capture the nanomaterials and examine their properties after they have been run through the system."

Comfort will be able to employ a graduate student and two undergraduate students for the five-year term.

"It's more than just the results; for students, it's also about the experience. In addition to having the resources to carry out some really exciting and innovative research, I’m thrilled to be able to use the CAREER award to introduce science to a new group of students."

Tom Williams, associate professor of biology, is using an $839,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to research why organisms that share the same genes look and behave differently — and the findings could have implications for human health.

Williams' research is rooted in 1980s discoveries that found radically different organisms have similar sets of genes, suggesting much of the Earth’s biological diversity comes not from new genes, but from how the same genes are used differently.

In previous research, Williams developed an investigative model using color patterns on the abdomens of fruit flies to study the ways in which DNA sequences function to switch genes "on" and "off" during an organism's development. Now Williams is examining the genetic codes of closely related fruit fly species to tease out the DNA sequences that function as switches. His goal? Understanding the changes that make one species' switch behave differently from that of another.

These switch sequences are thought to be a common factor in human health issues such as obesity. For example, a person's genome sequence could determine whether they easily burn off calories or store them instead, impacting their ability to lose weight.

Combine students interested in engineering, physical therapy and medicine, and what do you get? The Engineering Wellness through Biomechanics Lab at the University of Dayton, helping people move and live better.

"Engineering students sometimes wonder if they should stay in engineering or go into physical therapy. The great thing about biomechanics is they can do both," said associate professor Kim Bigelow, Engineering Wellness through Biomechanics Lab director.

In the lab, Bigelow and her students conduct research that can transform clinical care – especially for individuals who have balance issues.

"That's the beauty of engineering ... you can easily find a connection between the science and your passion. For me, it was finding ways to help people and improve their quality of life."

In collaboration with Dr. Kurt Jackson and students in UD’s Doctor of Physical Therapy Program, Bigelow is developing new and practical ways to help people with multiple sclerosis (MS) improve their health and well-being. One surprising solution? Kickboxing. Their research suggests the kicks, punches and knee movements associated with kickboxing are a safe and feasible option to improve balance and mobility. The group is now examining how ankle-foot orthoses can improve walking and reduce fatigue for individuals with MS.

Older adults are another group with proportionally high balance issues. One in three individuals aged 65 and older falls each year. To improve this statistic – and quality of life for seniors – Bigelow and her students are establishing ways to better identify individuals who might be at risk, prevent falls and mitigate related injuries.

In addition to her team's efforts in the lab, students in Bigelow's first-year design course, along with students in the School of Engineering's Innovation Center, have worked with both the Kettering Health Network NeuroRehab & Balance Center and United Rehabilitation Services on assistive devices — funded by a three-year, $75,000 National Science Foundation General & Age-Related Disabilities Engineering project grant. Devices include hinged wrist orthotics for patients with clenched fists, easier-to-open pill boxes for patients with limited dexterity, and modified golf clubs for stroke patients.

"I've always wanted to help make a difference in the lives of others — and that's the beauty of engineering," said Bigelow. "The field is so broad, you can easily find a connection between the science and your passion. For me, it was finding ways to help people and improve their quality of life."

Since Bigelow opened the lab in 2009, she has mentored nearly 80 students. They've achieved great things for medical device companies like 3M and Ethicon and have been admitted to preeminent graduate schools. Four of her students received National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships to pursue their doctoral degrees.

A boss yells at his employee. The employee is afraid to lose his job and stays silent about it. And the abusive behavior continues. It's a vicious cycle — and a problem that's hurting businesses, says Christian Kiewitz, professor of organizational theory and behavior.

Kiewitz is an expert on workplace aggression and abusive supervision — sustained hostile behavior by a supervisor toward a subordinate that does not include physical violence. While shootings in the workplace make headlines, Kiewitz said it's much more common for workers to experience low-level aggressive incidents.

"Your boss yells at you. Your co-worker doesn't forward an important email to you or keep you in the loop. Somebody might sabotage you," he said. "For most employees, experiencing physical workplace aggression or violence is not the norm. Instead what we experience is hostility."

"But you have to look at: Why is it that people keep silent? Silence is intentionally withholding information, so the motive behind the silence is really important."

While researchers have long focused on employees who speak out, looking at silence is something newer.

"The assumption was silence is the absence of voice," Kiewitz said. "But you have to look at: Why is it that people keep silent? Silence is intentionally withholding information, so the motive behind the silence is really important."

He explains when subordinates remain silent because they fear their managers, it also results in more abusive supervision down the road. The effects can include people leaving, sabotaging their bosses or losing their emotional attachment to the company – all problematic for the organization. 

While his research does not prescribe what to do in cases of abusive supervision, Kiewitz explains one way to break the cycle is to get top management involved. "It comes back to what kind of a culture you want to have in your organization. The best way of dealing with abusive supervisors is not to have them in the first place."