UToledo Engineering Research Society Awards First Seed Grants

UToledo Engineering Research Society Awards First Seed Grants

The University of Toledo College of Engineering has announced the first grant awards from its newly formed Engineering Research Society (ERS), marking a significant milestone in the college's goal to further strengthen its role in UToledo's standing as a premier Carnegie R1 research institution.

ERS is a membership-based organization co-led by Don Warner '76 and Deb Dauer '81 and established to support and advance research in the College of Engineering. Its inaugural meeting convened founding members, faculty, alumni and supporters who have collectively raised $800,000 toward an initial $1 million endowment goal.

Following the first round of research presentations, members voted to award seed funding to two faculty research teams to propel their projects forward for submission to major external grant opportunities.

The first recipient, "AI-Driven Aerodynamic Modeling for Future Air Mobility (eVTOL)," is led by Dr. Chunhua Sheng, professor in the Department of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering and director of the Computational Fluid Dynamics Laboratory, and Dr. Qiuying Zhao, associate professor of Engineering Technology.

Their project applies artificial intelligence to aerodynamic modeling for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft, addressing one of the most promising and rapidly growing sectors in transportation and aerospace engineering.

The second research project chosen, "Integrated Plasma-Biological Treatment for PFAS Destruction," is led by Dr. Abbas Semnani, associate professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, College of Engineering Dean's Fellow and director of the Adaptive Radiofrequency and Plasma Lab, and Dr. Young Seo, professor in the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Chemical Engineering, Peter Hess Fellow, and director of the COE Water and Environmental Research Initiative.

Their project combines plasma and biological treatment technologies to destroy per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) - also known as "forever chemicals" - which are persistent environmental contaminants of growing public health concern because they do not break down easily in the environment or the human body.

"These projects exemplify the quality, relevance and interdisciplinary strength of our faculty research, and they reflect the very purpose of ERS: providing timely seed support to catalyze major external funding and broader impact," said Mohammad Elahinia, dean of the UToledo College of Engineering and an ERS member.

"I am grateful to everyone who contributed to making this first ERS event a success, and I look forward to continuing to build momentum around engineering research, innovation and collaboration across the college."

The Engineering Research Society distributes grants annually from a UToledo Foundation endowed fund to support two categories of researchers: early-career faculty seeking startup capital for promising new projects, and established researchers in need of bridge funding to achieve external grant success.

Research areas supported by ERS include advanced manufacturing, artificial intelligence, automation, biomedical devices, energy systems, engineering education, materials development and sustainability.

Individual, corporate and institutional ERS memberships are available.