Aerospace Engineering Seminar Series: Robert D. Braun "Autonomous Deep Space Exploration"

Thursday, March 19, 2026; 3:00pm-4:00pm
028 ECoRE
Speaker: from

Abstract: For decades, space exploration has conjured visions of advanced technology. However, for much of our history, spaceflight has made limited use of autonomy and onboard computational capacity. This has changed in the past few years, particularly at more distant locations or in applications where the number of collaborative sensors is large. This seminar will review the systems trade between ground-in-the-loop and autonomous operations from a risk perspective, discuss recent advances in space exploration enabled by autonomy, and highlight the new class of spaceflight missions possible in the coming decade. The speaker’s experience working with the Mars Perseverance, Ingenuity, DART, Parker Solar Probe and Dragonfly teams will be highlighted.

Speaker Bio: Dr. Robert D. Braun is a space systems engineer, technlogist, and organizational leader. He has contributed to the formulation, development, and operation of multiple space flight missions and is a recognized authority in hypersonics technology and entry, descent and landing systems. Dr. Braun serves on the executive leadership team of the John Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory with responsibilities that span all civil and national security space activities at the Lab. He is also a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Braun previously served in executive positions at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the University of Colorado Boulder, and NASA, and has previously served on the faculty of Georgia Tech, CU Boulder and Caltech. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the AIAA and AAS, and the author or co-author of over 300 technical publications. Dr. Braun is a proud graduate of Penn State Aerospace Engineering.

Hosted by: Jessica Chhan,  jmc7050@psu.edu

From neuron classification to spiking neural network simulations: a neuroinformatics approach to data-driven computational models

Wednesday, March 18, 2026; 12:15 - 1:15 pm
W306 Millennium Science Complex
Speaker: Giorgio Ascoli from George Mason University

Neuroscience textbooks describe the brain as a massive network of spiking neurons with complex dynamics. Neural circuits, the story goes, are largely defined by the connectivity between axons, reliably propagating all-or-none action potentials to distant targets, and local dendrites integrating synaptic inputs. In this model, activity-dependent plasticity continuously alters synaptic strength, while neurotransmitters determine excitation v. inhibition. Are these ingredients sufficient to explain cognition? If not, what is missing? Tackling these questions for the hippocampal formation, I will show how neuronal diversity is the key to explore the relationship between synapses and behavior.

https://psu.zoom.us/j/94639233394

Hosted by: Rebecca Benson,  rle4@psu.edu

Catalyst deactivation: Mechanisms, stability by design, and pathways to machine-learned models

Thursday, March 19, 2026;

Speaker: Phillip Christopher from University of California, Santa Barbara

Supported metal catalysts are used ubiquitously in industrial applications for energy conversion, material/chemical manufacturing, and pollution mitigation. Fundamental research often focuses on elucidating structure-function relationships that connect active site structures and compositions to their reactivities. Relationships that connect active site structure to stability are less well developed. Such insights require appreciation of dynamic structure changes, longer term experimentation, and reactors characterized by gradients in temperatures and chemical potentials. I will highlight two recent research efforts from my group where we have studied the deactivation of supported metal catalysts.

First, I will discuss the deactivation of supported coinage (Cu and Ag) metal catalysts which occurs via sintering due to the low melting points of these metals. We found that the addition of < 1:100 mol fraction of certain dopant metals results in drastic stability enhancement under methanol synthesis reaction conditions A model was developed that proposes the role of dopants as local stabilizers of highly mobile metal atoms. Secondly, I will discuss the deactivation of Rh/TiO2 catalysts under CO2 hydrogenation conditions. Mechanistic studies suggest that deactivation occurs through competing mechanisms as a function of catalyst composition and reaction conditions, motivating the use experimentally trained machine learnt models to predict deactivation behavior. A round robin style experimental campaign was performed across 4 institutions to generate data for this effort. I will discuss our from this effort in the context of experimental uncertainty and the resulting influence on machine learned model development.      

Hosted by: Angela Dixon,  adc12@psu.edu

Superlattice Castellated Field Effect Transistor (SLCFET) Technology

Wednesday, March 18, 2026; 1:00-2:30 PM
114 Steidle
Speaker: Dr. Robert Howell from Northrop Grumman Corporation

BIOGRAPHY   

Howell received a B.S. in engineering and a B.A. in history from Swarthmore College and a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Lehigh University, where he studied polycrystalline silicon thin-film microelectronics for displays. He has since worked at Northrop Grumman, now in the Mission Systems Sector, leading R&D on semiconductor devices and processes across material systems including SiC, GaN, Si, diamond, GaAs, and GeTe, and device types such as DMOSFETs, diodes, TFTs, SITs, HBTs, and HEMTs, most notably inventing the SLCFET topology for low-loss RF and microwave switching. Named an NG Fellow in 2017, he serves as system architect for microelectronics in Mission Next, advancing next-generation components and packaging. He has co-authored over 100 publications and holds more than 25 patents.

Hosted by: Lyndsey Biddle,  lrb5765@psu.edu

Aerospace Engineering Seminar Series: Stefan Bianiawski

Thursday, March 26, 2026; 3:00pm-4:00pm
028 ECoRE
Speaker: from

Hosted by: Jessica Chhan,  jmc7050@psu.edu

From Molecules to Supply Chains: Transforming Data to Decisions using Geometry, Optimization, and Machine Learning

Thursday, March 26, 2026; 10:35am
Capone Learning Auditorium (CBEB 001)
Speaker: Victor Zavala Tejeda from University of Wisconsin-Madison

We discuss how geometry, optimization, and machine learning are key technologies that are
revolutionazing the way we think about data and the way we transform data into actionable models and
decisions. Specifically, we explain how complex data (e.g., text, molecules, time series, images/video, supply
chain flows) can be represented as geometrical objects and how this faciltates interpretation and extraction
of useful information from data. We also discuss how extracted information can be mapped into decisions
using optimization and machine learning models. We illustrate how to use these powerful math tools in
innovative ways for analyzing complex datasets arising in molecular dynamics simulation, microscopy,
chemical processes, and suppy chains. Specifically, we show that these tools can help link the
microstructure of soft gels to their rheological properties, can help analyze complex responses of liquid
crystals from video data, and can help detect faults and optimize large-scale systems.

Hosted by: Angela Dixon,  adc12@psu.edu

Computational Electromagnetics; past, present and future

Wednesday, March 25, 2026; 121 Earth & Engineering Science Building
3:35-4:25 p.m.
Speaker: Balasubramaniam Shanker from Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Ohio State University

The solution to Maxwell’s equation has been the basis of a slew of development over the past eight decades. These range from early radar systems to modern applications that are capturing imagination of engineers today: wearable sensors or antennas, antennas and sensors for driverless vehicles, threat detection scanners, non-invasive medical devices, advanced electromagnetic (EM) and acoustic materials. In exploring these applications, the state of art has advanced to an extent that it computational electromagnetics has become a routine part of the design eco-system. Indeed, more often than not, it is not uncommon for designers to ask whether measured data agrees with HFSS, a simulation software. It was not always this way. A couple of decades ago, the state of art of simulations was at its infancy. Problem that could be solved were electrically small and geometrically not sophisticated. The gradual transformation of the state of art happened in late 1990’s. The transformation was largely driven by both advances in computational horsepower as well new algorithms. In concert, we have achieved remarkable capabilities. That said, the richness of our electromagnetic environment implies that there are a range of problems that are still beyond the reach of our simulation capabilities. Challenges arise due to increase in frequency, behavior of materials at these frequencies, shape and topology optimization, transient physics, multi-physics challenges, packaging in relation to new circuit architectures, and so on. In this talk, I will walk through some the grand challenges (biased perspective, of course) that the community has overcome and our group’s role in these efforts. I will also diverge onto interesting intellectual forays into the intersection of computer graphics and computational electromagnetics as well as particle in cell methods for plasma physics. I will walk through some of the interesting topics that our group has embarked upon as well as pose a set of open interesting problems.

B. Shanker received his B'Tech from the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, India in 1989, M.S. and Ph.D in 1992 and 1993, respectively, from The Pennsylvania State University. Currently, he is an Elizabeth and John Tinkham Professor and Chair of Electrical and Computer Engineering at The Ohio State University from 2022. Between 2017-2022, he was a University Distinguished Professor (an honor accorded to about 2% of tenure system MSU faculty members) in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Michigan State University and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Earlier, he was a faculty member at Iowa State University and a visiting assistant professor at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, all in ECE. At Michigan State University, he served as Associate Chair of the Department of Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering, a new department at MSU and was a key player in building this Department from 7 to 30+ faculty members in three years. He also served as Associate Chair for Graduate Studies in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering from 2012-2015, and the Associate Chair for Research in ECE from 2019-2022. He has authored/co-authored around 450 journal and conference papers. He was an Associate Editor for IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters (AWPL), IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, and Topical Editor for Journal of Optical Society of America: A. He is a full member of the USNC-URSI Commission B. He is Fellow of IEEE (class 2010), elected for his contributions to time and frequency domain computational electromagnetics. He has also been awarded the Withrow Distinguished Junior scholar (in 2003), Withrow Distinguished Senior scholar (in 2010), the Withrow teaching award (in 2007), and the Beal Outstanding Faculty award (2014).

Hosted by: Lana Fulton,  lub18@psu.edu

Aerospace Engineering Seminar Series: Bill Crossley

Thursday, April 2, 2026; 3:00pm-4:00pm
028 ECoRE
Speaker: Bill Crossley from Purdue University

Hosted by: Jessica Chhan,  jmc7050@psu.edu

Correlating Structure to Performance in Soft Materials with Neutron Scattering

Thursday, April 2, 2026; 10:35am
Capone Learning Auditorium (CBEB 001)
Speaker: Mark Dadmun from University of Tennessee

Neutron scattering and reflectivity are unique tools that offer insight into the ordering and structure of complex and multi-component materials on length scales from a few angstroms to 100’s of nanometers. In recent years, our group has focused on using neutron scattering to determine the structure of functional materials to provide insight into the fundamental processes that govern their functionality.

 For instance, soft structured materials such as Nanoparticle Organic Hybrid Materials (NOHMs) and Microemulsions (MEs) have been considered as novel electrolytes in redox flow batteries. To better understand the performance of microemulsions in redox flow batteries and correlate structure to performance, we use small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) to investigate the impact of surfactant molecular structure on the structure and properties of their oil/water microemulsions, which in turn impacts their performance in devices.  More precisely, we examine the impact of the molecular structure of non-ionic surfactants on the morphology, domain size, and interfacial rigidity in water/toluene/surfactant microemulsions.  In these studies, the structure and properties of water/toluene/surfactants microemulsions that contain Tween-20 and Brij-35 are determined by small angle neutron scattering.  Tween-20 and Brij-35 were chosen as the are both non-ionic surfactants with similar atomic composition, but vary in their molecular structure where the Brij-35 is a linear molecule, and Tween-20 is branched.  This variation in molecular topology impacts the assembly of the surfactant at the oil/water interface, which influences the rigidity of the interface and morphology of the microemulsion, which will be discussed.  These structural changes are correlated to the conductivity and ion diffusion in these microemulsions.

Similarly, polyimide aerogels (PIA) saturated with ionic liquids are promising materials as robust electrolytes for next generation batteries. However, progress in designing materials with improved performance is limited by the lack of insight into structure-property relationships. In our recent work, we have carefully analyzed small angle scattering of Ionic liquid/PIA constructs to  provide interfacial surface area, average domain size, and importantly, phase composition of the aerogel.  In these studies, the thorough analysis of SANS data from PIA/ionic liquid mixtures shows that the ionic liquid unexpectedly penetrates the polyimide aerogel. This unanticipated structure impacts charge transport and therefore performance of the aerogel as a battery component, providing crucial structure-property correlations that can id in future materials design.

Finally, I will discuss our work where we have investigated the assembly of the ionic liquid methyl trioctyl ammonium chloride (MTOAC) in deuterated xylene to correlate its nanoscale and mesoscale assembly to its observed charge transport properties by SANS. These neutron scattering experiments demonstrate that MTOAC suspended in deuterated m-xylene forms stable spherical structures that have a radius of ca. one MTOAC molecule and are the most abundant structure in solution. Free MTOAC molecules are also present in the solvent but less prevalent than spheres. Occasionally, spheres collide to form long-lived metastable cylindrical structures; these remain a minority structure as their population is dependent on the population of spheres. As MTOAC concentration increases, the amount of both spheres and free molecules increases, resulting in more mobile charge carriers within the solvent.  This structural change results in a decrease in the resistivity. In contrast, the cylinder population remain constant, indicating that they do not impact the resistivity/conductivity of the solutions. These result therefore indicate that the spheres and free MTOAC drive the macroscopic conductivity of the solutions. The presence of the spheres and cylinders also offer a domain where metal ions are welcome in separation processes, and thus the metal ions that are sequestered into the interior of the spherical or cylindrical structures are available for separation, providing further structure-performance relationship detail that can guide rational improvement of the materials.

Hosted by: Angela Dixon,  adc12@psu.edu

Millimeter Wave Antennas and Beamforming for Wireless Communication and Imaging Systems

Wednesday, April 1, 2026; 121 Earth & Engineering Science Building
3:35-4:25 p.m.
Speaker: Abdel R. Sebak from Concordia University Research Chair in Millimeter-wave Antennas and Systems, Electrical and Computer Engineering

As mobile communication technologies continue to advance and find applications across diverse sectors, their influence on daily life will deepen. Future systems will be required to deliver high-data-rate, ultra-low-latency services for a broad range of communication needs. Meeting these demands requires innovative approaches, and one promising direction is the exploitation of millimeter-wave (mmWave) frequency bands, which offer abundant spectrum resources. With their shorter wavelengths, mmWave frequencies enable physically smaller antennas and circuits while providing significantly wider bandwidth than traditional microwave frequencies. These advantages are key for supporting the next generation of wireless networks, where base stations and mobile devices will increasingly rely on mmWave to meet ever-growing demands for data capacity. This talk will explore the market need for compact, high-efficiency antennas for next-generation wireless communications, sensing, and imaging systems. The design of mmWave antennas must address requirements such as highly directional radiation patterns—for extended transmission range and enhanced detection sensitivity—compact size, and broad impedance-matching bandwidth. The core of the presentation will focus on the research and development of high-gain, broadband mmWave antennas and beamforming solutions that span multiple mmWave frequency bands, enabling versatile, multi-application use. Special emphasis will be placed on state-of-the-art guiding structures, particularly printed ridge gap waveguide (PRGW) technology, which offers low loss and minimal dispersion compared to conventional PCB-based designs. The talk will also detail the key components required for implementing a PRGW-based beamforming antenna system.

Dr Abdel Razik Sebak is a Tier I Concordia University Research Chair. Before joining Concordia University, he was a professor at the University of Manitoba. He was also with Cairo University and worked with the Canadian Marconi Company on the design of microstrip phased array antennas. Dr Sebak’s recent research activities cover two streams: Antenna Engineering, and Analytical and Computational Electromagnetics. Applied and sponsored projects include high gain mm-wave antennas, advanced composite materials for aerospace shielding and antenna applications, microwave sensing and imaging, ultra-wideband antennas, and microwave beamforming. Dr. Sebak’s original research contributions and technical leadership have been extensive and resulted in over 650 publications in prestigious refereed journals and international conference proceedings (h-index 52). He is among the world top 2% scientists Scopus Citation according to Science-wide author databases of standardized citation indicators. Dr Sebak was inducted as a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers in 2009. He is also a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada. Dr. Sebak is a member of Concordia University Provost's Circle of Distinction for his career achievements. For his joint efforts in establishing one of the most advanced electromagnetic computational and antennas labs at the University of Manitoba, Dr. Sebak received the Rh Award for Outstanding Contributions to Scholarship and Research. Dr. Sebak received the 1992 and 2000 University of Manitoba Merit Award for outstanding Teaching and Research. In 1996 Dr. Sebak received the Faculty of Engineering Superior Academic Performance. Dr Sebak has also received the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society Best Chapter Award. Dr Sebak served as a Section Chair, NSERC Discovery Grant Evaluation Group, Electrical and Computer Engineering Group. He is the General Chair of the IEEE ITC-EGYPT2025, the IEEE-ANTEM2016 Symposium and Co-Chair of the IEEE ICUWB2015. He has served as Chair for the IEEE APS Ad-Hoc Award Committee (2022-2024). Dr. Sebak has also served as Chair for the IEEE Canada Awards and Recognition Committee (2002-2004), IEEE Canada Conference Committee (2000-2002) and as the Technical Program Chair for the 2002 IEEE CCECE Conference and the 2006 URSI-ANTEM Symposium. He has also served as a member (2002-2004) of the IEEE RAB Awards and Recognition Committee. Dr. Sebak has served as Associate Editor, Journal of Applied Computational Electromagnetic Society, Associate Editor, International Journal of Antennas and Propagation. Associate Editor, J. Engineering Research. He is a member of the Canadian National Committee of International Union of Radio Science (URSI) Commission B.

Hosted by: Lana Fulton,  lub18@psu.edu