Rossin Connection

When Dhruv Seshadri hires a student, he doesn't care about their GPA. He wants to know their why, that intangible thing that fuels their passion and stokes their curiosity and drive to solve real world problems. For Seshadri, an assistant professor of bioengineering who works with wearable devices to improve patient outcomes, the why is personal.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk to us @RossinPodcast.

Chayah Wilburs has a knack for getting young kids excited about all things engineering. She's the program manager for the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science, and the head of the college's newest outreach initiative, the STEM Squad. In this episode, Chayah talks about how she turns preschoolers into little coders, gets middle schoolers amped up about careers in space, and how she's helping Lehigh students develop educational tools that will help local teachers meet new requirements in STEM education. Plus, you'll hear from Lehigh faculty who bring their research into area schools and science fairs, and a sixth-grade science educator who sees huge potential in having Lehigh students visit his classroom.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk to us @RossinPodcast.

Her focus is on fundamental science, but everything Whitney Blocher McTigue does in the lab is aimed towards applications in the real world. As an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering, Blocher McTigue is working toward a future where innovative wound care and shelf-stable medicine lead to healthier lives. And for her, the drive to make that happen is personal. 

Like a lot of kids, Dominic DiFranzo spent loads of time on the internet when he was growing up. It was where he could connect with other people who shared his passion for “nerdy things” like science fiction and Japanese anime. Pretty soon, the web itself captivated him–how it worked technologically, and eventually, how people built online communities. Today, he researches how to make the internet more “pro-social,” and a safer space for kids, older adults, and really, for all of us. Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

Javad Khazaei came to the U.S from Iran. He was the first member of his family to leave the country, and at first, the transition was a tough one. But he pushed through what he calls, “the challenge that every international student has to overcome.” Today, he's an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering. In this episode, he talks about an influential trip he took as a kid with his dad, how the encouraging words of his advisor changed the course of his career, and how his research will help make our power system more robust–and will contribute to the global effort to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

Growing up, Siddha Pimputkar spent summers at his grandparents' house, which meant spending lots of time figuring out how to maintain an old house and a large garden. That love of problem solving stayed with him, and he eventually turned it into a career in materials science, a discipline that, he says, connects to all the others in some shape or form. Today, he's researching a novel method of growing cubic boron nitride, a material that has the potential to–among other things–solve the very big problem of energy efficiency in electronics, and in the grid itself. It's so promising, he often calls it the “holy grail” of materials.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

When Farrah Moazeni started out as a chemical engineering student in Iran, she figured she'd end up working for her country's petrochemical industry. But the environmental impacts of the business made her change course. She came to the U.S. to study renewable energy and got her PhD in civil engineering. After an invaluable (and memorable!) experience working in industry, she came to Lehigh where she's now an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering researching ways to make smart water systems safer and more efficient. In this episode, she talks about working toward equitable access to resources like water, what it was like leaving everything she knew behind in Iran, how she pushed through when things got tough–and how she's helping her own international students do the same. Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast

According to the Centers for Disease Control, antibiotic resistance is a global public health threat that was associated with nearly 5 million deaths worldwide in 2019. In this episode, associate professor Angela Brown explains why these powerful, important drugs can also do harm, how her research has influenced how and when she takes them, and the work her lab is doing to develop new strategies to fight bacterial infections. We also learn why she never intended to become an engineer in the first place, why she calls bacteria “amazing,” and the surprising part of her job that she loves (ok, and sometimes hates) the most.

It's really, really hard to make something swim like a fish. But understanding just how these animals move can help in a range of applications–from the design of renewable energy devices, to underwater vehicles, and forecasting the impact of climate change on fish populations. In this episode, associate professor of mechanical engineering Keith Moored talks about how his childhood love of the ocean led him to diving with manta rays as a grad student, and eventually to a career researching bio-inspired locomotion, specifically, the fluid mechanics of fish swimming.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

Chances are, you've never given much (if any!) thought to the films that coat things like your phone charger. But without them–and without their exact dimensions of thickness and hardness–the technology we rely on every day would be useless. In this episode, associate professor Nick Strandwitz explains what he calls the “magic” of atomic layer deposition, a thin film growth technique that, among many other things, helps our computers and smartphones do what they do–and do it fast. He also talks about what makes the discipline of materials science particularly satisfying.

As a kid growing up in Amman, Jordan, Karmel Shehadeh knew she wanted to one day be a professor and a researcher. Today, she is an assistant professor in the department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. And at the end of her faculty profile, she includes an unusual line. It's not a sentiment you typically come across in such write-ups, but it's targeted toward a special group of students. In this episode, you'll find out why she makes a point of including that sentence not only in her profile, but in the acknowledgement section of her research papers.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

The James Webb Space Telescope launched into orbit on Christmas Day 2021. It's the largest, most powerful space science telescope that has ever been built. It will enable us to look more than 13 billion years back in time, helping us answer questions like, Where do we come from? and Are we alone?  It took 20 years, thousands of technicians, scientists, and engineers, and 40 million hours to build. One of those engineers is Lehigh alum Scott Willoughby. He graduated with a degree in electrical engineering in 1989, and today he's the vice president and program manager for the James Webb Space Telescope program at Northrop Grumman. In this episode, he explains why this mission an Apollo moment for science, what makes this telescope a singular marvel of engineering, and how we're already benefiting from Webb's development here on earth.

Sibel Pamukcu is an expert in the field of electroremediation of soils and groundwater, and her pioneering research spans more than three decades of work. But Sibel is a pioneer of another sort as well. She was the first woman faculty member of the department of civil and environmental engineering. In this episode, she talks about becoming an engineer, her groundbreaking research, the challenges she faced in her early years in the department, and what she's learned from her colleagues today that  could have helped her back then.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

When Hannah Dailey says she feels like she's been at Lehigh her whole life, she means it. She did her undergrad in mechanical engineering here, came back for her master's and PhD, and today she's an assistant professor specializing in medical devices. In this episode, she talks about her journey from "terrified" transfer student to entrepreneur to helping surgeons improve patient care. She also talks about the efforts to get more female students and faculty into mechanical engineering, and the one thing she thinks everyone needs to hear.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

How can we get more students interested in chemical engineering? Ask the students. The result of that somewhat novel approach is a new course called Coffee and Cosmetics: Engineering of Consumer Products.  In this episode, Professor James Gilchrist shares the origin story of the class, the unique role of its creators, and how for the first time in his teaching career, Gilchrist wasn't the expert in the room. The episode begins with Gilchrist telling the origin story of his own interest in chemical engineering, what his research means for the lay consumer, and what's so fascinating (really!) about how paint dries. Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

Anand Ramamurthi is the new professor and chair of Lehigh's bioengineering department. In this episode, he talks about his research journey, and how an early fascination with the human body led to the realization that engineers can play a significant role in treating disease. Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

Matt Bilsky is a Lehigh alum and an entrepreneur. Growing up, he was constantly building and inventing things, and that creator mindset helped him not only design his own PhD program, but start two companies focused on solving those “Wouldn’t it be nice if...?” situations. Here’s the story of how a K’NEX kid became a problem-solving CEO—and what startup life sounds like in the era of COVID-19. Learn more about FLX Solutions in South Bethlehem.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones wears down over time. It’s the most common form of arthritis, and it affects more than 31 million Americans. Lesley Chow recently received a CAREER award from the National Science Foundation for her work on a technique that may someday help cartilage regrow. In this episode, Lesley talks about the role of cartilage in the body, why injuries to it can be so devastating, the novel approach her lab is taking to rebuild it, and why she’s so invested in helping others avoid living in pain. Lesley is the Frank Hook Assistant Professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean’s office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science. Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

This is the second half of our interview with professor of practice, Terry Hart. It begins in 1978, just after Hart was selected from 8,000 applicants to be one of 35 astronauts known as Group 8, the first to include African Americans, Asian Americans, and women. Hart talks about training for his historic 1984 mission to space, why weightlessness was initially pretty awful, and about the one failure NASA didn’t anticipate. He also explains why he left the astronaut corps, his view on the future of space exploration, and why he calls being named Lehigh University's commencement speaker for the 2020 class, “the honor of my life.” Hart is a professor of practice in the department of mechanical engineering and mechanics at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science at Lehigh University.Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy.

Terry Hart '68, '88H, is a Lehigh alum and a professor of practice in mechanical engineering and mechanics. He's also a former telecommunications executive, fighter pilot, and astronaut. His life is a series of remarkable stories, some of which he was planning on sharing with students as commencement speaker for the 2020 class. But like everything else, graduation was upended by the pandemic.Host Christine Fennessy caught up with Terry to learn more about the path he took after his own graduation from Lehigh, a path that eventually landed him in NASA's Astronaut Group 8. In part one of a two-part interview, Terry talks about the event that initially captured his imagination about space, the edge engineering gave him as an Air Force pilot during the Vietnam War, the most fortuitous failure of his life, and why Sally Ride was his favorite copilot.

At the time, it was the hardest decision he'd ever made. But when Peter Schwarzenberg '16 quit running cross country in his junior year, it was a move that changed his life. Today, he's a PhD candidate in mechanical engineering and mechanics developing a virtual technique that can help doctors better predict healing in tibial fractures. That research made him just one of 10 recipients in the U.S. last year of the Institute of International Education’s Graduate International Research Experiences (IIE-GIRE) program. Read more about Peter and the revolutionary approach he's developing at the @DaileyOrthoLab with assistant professor of mechanical engineering and mechanics, Dr. Hannah Dailey. Tweet ideas or feedback on the show @RossinPodcast.

Kathleen Egan is a surfer, skier, environmental activist, and the CEO and cofounder of ecomedes, a company whose mission is to reduce the cost and impact of buildings. She's also an alum of the industrial and systems engineering program at Lehigh. She got her MBA at Harvard Business School, grew seven venture-backed startups with three successful exits, and has held senior leadership positions at companies like Oracle, Revionics, Quri, and Wiser Solutions, Inc. In this episode, Egan talks about her journey to becoming a CEO, about learning to ask for what she wanted, becoming her authentic self (and finally dropping all the football talk), and how she counters the imposter syndrome that, incredibly, still haunts her. She offers advice for students on how to make the impressions that can give them an edge as they start their careers. And finally, she explains how she found her calling in the business of sustainability, and why she has hope that humanity can act in time to address climate change.

"It took me a long time to find my voice in engineering," says Christina Haden, professor of practice in the department of mechanical engineering and mechanics. According to data from the American Society for Engineering Education, just 21.9 percent of engineering bachelor's degrees were awarded to women in 2018. Haden wants to change that. She helped create Lehigh Women Engineers, a three-day experience that is part of Lehigh's preLUsion program, and designed for self-identifying women. This episode features the faculty, staff, and student voices of this unique and important program that works to break stereotypes, expose imposter syndrome, forge friendships, and make all women feel welcome, represented, and seen as engineers.

On July 1st, Sabrina Jedlicka will become the new associate dean of academic affairs for the Rossin College. In this episode, she talks about how psychology played a big role in who she became as an engineer and as a professor, how a chance meeting with a female mentor shaped her path as a researcher, and how she’ll use her new role as associate dean to broaden the worldview of students, and to help address the inequity in engineering.

Dr. David Adinaro is an alum of the Healthcare Systems Engineering program, and the chief medical officer of the East Orange-Alternative Care Site in East Orange, New Jersey. From early April to about mid-May, he was in the same role in the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey, which had been converted into a temporary medical station meant to ease the burden on local hospitals overwhelmed by coronavirus patients. Dr. Adinaro and his team care for the COVID convalescent, those in the last 5 to 7 days of their hospital stay. In this episode, he talks about the experience of being on the frontlines of the pandemic, why systems engineering matters in healthcare, and the struggle that so many providers feel during this time, about whether or not they're doing enough.

Onur Denizhan is a PhD student in the department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, and the recent recipient of the RCEAS Graduate Leadership and Service award. He calls the award “proof of my life at Lehigh.” As an international student from Turkey, the path to such recognition hasn’t always been easy. But Onur has found that his struggles have only made him stronger.

Ellie Christman is a chemical engineering major and a freshman. Having to finish out her first year at Lehigh at home was a huge bummer, but she’s gotten more out of remote learning than she anticipated.

A small team at Lehigh led by Brian Slocum brings you inside their labs and work spaces to explain how they are responding to the shortage of personal protective equipment, and made more than 1200 face shields for local healthcare providers.

Susan Perry is a professor of practice in the bioengineering department. As the semester comes to a close, Susan shares how she figured out how to teach a lab online, how her students figured out how to build prosthetics at home, and the unusual visitor who crashed her Zoom meeting. She also has a special message for all you seniors. She understands what you're feeling because she feels it, too.

Seanna Corr is a bioengineering major, and a senior. She talks about the goodbyes she didn’t get to say to friends and professors on campus, her worries about the future, and her two secret weapons helping her through it all.

First-year engineering student Alexander Spivey talks about the challenges he faced when the coronavirus pandemic forced students to leave campus, and how he’s staying focused, and positive.