July.2010,Energy Harvesting device in our group attracts alot of attention

It has been less than a week and Dr. Shi’s press release on his research article in “Nano Letters” is getting a lot of attention

Aug. 2009 - Prof. Shi and Prof. Jian Cao from Stony Brook University Medical Center won the Concept Award of DOD for the Detection of Circulating Cancer Cells research. The aim of this project is to detect circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in blood of patients with breast cancer using nano acoustic wave (NAW) technology. Since most human cancers are epithelial in origin, detection of these cells in circulating blood has relied principally on identification of epithelial cell markers. However, no specific markers for metastatic cancer cells have been identified and non-tumor epithelial cells also present in blood. Cancer cells and normal epithelial cells exhibit fundamental differences in biomechanical and biophysical properties, it is expected that their acoustic properties (phase and attenuation) display distinguishing characteristics, hence, allowing their separation.

Sept. 2008 - NSF awards two grants to Stevens for nano/micro device fabrication and nano sensor development

http://web1.stevens.edu/press/pr/pr1201

July, 2008 - Prof. Shi awarded 3 year NSF grant for Nano AFC Acoustic Emission Sensors research

Prof. Yong Shi (PI) was awarded a 3 year grant from NSF for the project ' NAFCs Acoustic Emission Sensors for real-time monitoring of structures’. The objective of the research is to to apply innovative nanotechnologies for creating acoustic emission (AE) sensors for real-time monitoring of structures. The proposed AE sensors are composed of Nanoscale Active Fiber Composites (NAFCs) and the project involves the design, manufacturing and characterization of the consisting of piezoelectric (PZT) nanofibers. This work will result in advanced self-powered sensors with high sensitivity, excellent conformability and suitability for being imbedded into or attached on the surface of structures.

June 2008 - Prof. Shi (ME) awarded NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant

Prof. Yong Shi and co-PIs Chang-Hwan Choi, Frank Fisher, and EH Yang (Mechanical Engineering) and Stefan Strauf (Physics and Engineering Physics) were awarded an MRI grant to enable the purchase of an Inductively Coupled Plasma (ICP) Etcher for nano/micro device fabrication. The requested ICP etching system will greatly augment existing micro/nano fabrication capabilities within the MicroDevices Laboratory (MDL) at Stevens. Research projects directly benefiting from the requested system include: 1). Nano and micro devices for sensing, communications and medicine; 2) Single-electron carbon nanotube memory devices; 3) Nanoengineered surfaces for microfluidic and nanobioscience applications; and 4) Bottom-up prototyping of microchemical systems.

April 2008 - Prof. Shi awarded 3 year NSF grant for MEMS actuator research

Prof. Yong Shi was awarded a 3 year grant from NSF for the project 'MEMS Umbrella-shaped Actuator with Active Structure for Medical Applications'. Co-PIs working with Prof. Shi on the project are Ming Zhang and Sundeep Mangla from SUNY Downstate Health Science Center. The objective of the research is to design, fabricate and test an umbrella-shaped microactuator based on an integrated micro/nanofabrication technique for thrombus retrieval in stroke therapy.

For detail: http://www.stevens.edu/press/pr/pr1192.htm

April 2008 -The Stevens ASME Student Section won two awards at the ASME District A Professional Development Conference

Two Mechanical Engineering senior design teams supervised by Prof. Shi won First Place for Web Design Competition and Fifth Place in Oral Competition respectively. For detail: here.

Nov., 2007 - Prof. Shi's Research on Nano Active Fiber Composites (AFCs) Recognized by the American Society for Nondestructive Testing.

Prof. Yong Shi and his PhD student Shiyou Xu from Stevens have been selected to receive the 2007 American Society for Nondestructive Testing (ASNT) Fellowship Award for their research on 'Fabrication and Characterization of Nano AFC's as Acoustic Emission Sensors' during the 2007 ASNT Fall Conference and Quality Testing Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 12-16, 2007.

Active Fiber Composites (AFC) present a number of advantages in comparison with conventional acoustic emission (AE) sensors, such as lightweight, flexibility (adaptable to curved surfaces), anisotropic sensitivity, and potential for integration into composites for real time structure health monitoring. However, the thickness of the typical AFCs is about 300 µm due to the large fiber diameter (125 µm or more). Although the manufacturing processes are compatible with polymer matrix laminates, their diameters are too large to be embedded in, for example, graphite fiber composites which have fiber diameters of a few microns. Piezoelectric nanofibers developed at Prof. Shi's lab in Mechanical Engineering Department can potentially solve this problem when used in the form of Nano AFCs. The nanofibers developed by electrospinning processing could be readily used as reinforcements, sensors and also actuators for nano AFCs. New process are currently being developed to integrate piezoelectric nanofibers with matrix materials and electrodes using micro fabrication methods. Due to their nanoscale size, the Nano AFC sensors could couple much higher sensitivities with much low driving voltage as compared to traditional sensors. Additional information can be found here.

July 2006 - Professor Shi co-Pi on NSF Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) grant
NSF DMI-0619762 - MRI: Acquisition of an Instrument for Nanoscale Manipulation and Experimental Characterization
Prof. Shi Co-Pi with Fisher (PI) and Zhu on this grant which provides funding to acquire a state-of-the-art nanomanipulation and visualization system for scientific research and training in prototyping, characterization, and performance evaluation of functional nanostructures and micro/nanoscale devices and systems. This system will provide nanometer-resolution, scanning electron microscope (SEM)-compatible manipulation capability and enable critical nanoscale experimental investigations spanning many key emerging nano/microtechnology areas at Stevens, including: nanomaterials development/characterization, nano/micro sensors and actuators, and micro-chemical and micro-mechanical systems.

Sept 2005 - Professor Shi Co-Pi on NSF Nanotechnology Undergraduate Education (NUE) grant
NSF ESI-0532555 - NUE: Virtual research experiences for undergraduates in nanotechnology
An interdisciplinary team of Stevens faculty conducting research in various areas of nanotechnology. Fisher (PI), Co-PIs: Pochiraju, Shi in Mechanical Engineering; Libera, Du in CBME, and Sukhishvili in Chemistry and Chemical Biology, the Visual Information Environment Lab directed by Hong Man in Electrical and Computer Engineering, and the Center for Innovation in Engineering & Science Education (CIESE) has been funded to develop “Virtual Research Experiences for Undergraduates in Nanotechnology” (VREUN) modules. These multimedia learning modules will be based on video documentation of undergraduate nanotechnology research projects performed in the labs of the nanotechnology faculty and designed for use within undergraduate science and engineering curricula.

Aug 2005 - Stevens receives funding from US Army TACOM-ARDEC to develop Microdevices Laboratory
The Microdevices Laboratory will include a 500 sq. ft. Class 100 Clean Room.