Engineering and... News: February 2025

Greetings GW Engineering Community!

During the month of February, GW Engineering celebrated engineers and computer
scientists who are changing the world through their innovation, discovery, education,
and societal impact.

Professor Saniya Leblanc of the Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering (MAE)
Department was honored with the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and
Engineers (PECASE). The PECASE is a major award recognizing scientists and
engineers who demonstrate exceptional promise in leadership and research. Professor LeBlanc was recognized for her work integrating advanced materials and manufacturing techniques to create next-generation energy conversion devices. She also tackles energy issues at the system level by connecting her technical engineering expertise with other disciplines for societal impact.

Professor Gina Adam of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department
received the Department of Energy (DOE) Early Career Research Award to support her work in developing brain-inspired computational hardware that consumes significantly less energy than current methods. This follows two other early career awards she received last year from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) and the National Science Foundation (NSF). DOE also funded Professor Adam through the Collaborative Research in Computational Neuroscience (CRCNS) program in partnership with George Mason University.

On February 19, Professor Punit Prakash, who joined GW Engineering last fall from
Kansas State University, was officially installed as the Alisann and Terry Collins
Professor of Biomedical Engineering. Endowed professorships such as this are
investments in academic excellence made by generous alumni and friends like the
Collins Family who believe in GW Engineering and our mission. These professorships
enable GW to recruit, retain, and support brilliant faculty members who help elevate our university. We’re excited to see what Professor Prakash will accomplish and his
extraordinary impact in the years to come.

This month, alumna Tenisha “Ava” Williams, B.S. ‘13, rejoined GW Engineering as our
inaugural Director of Inclusive Excellence. In this important new role, Ava will lead our
efforts to foster an environment where all students, staff, and faculty can access the
support, opportunities, and sense of belonging they need to achieve their full potential. Ava is already engaging with people throughout our community to listen and learn as she plans to implement our Inclusive Excellence and Culture & Engagement action plans.

In honor of the nationally recognized Engineers Week, we joined the celebration of the
integral role engineers and computer scientists play around the world. We all understand that the work we do intersects with every aspect of society - from
infrastructure and energy to health and national security. Engineers and computer
scientists continue to be at the forefront of everything that shapes and moves our world forward. To launch the celebration, we hosted an “I Love Engineers” kickoff event for students, faculty, and staff. The administrative units at GW Engineering collaborated and planned a variety of events and student engagement opportunities throughout the week. The 2025 Engineers Week celebration will culminate with a George Hacks Hackathon on March 1-2.

Innovation, discovery, education, and societal impact continue to be the cornerstones of GW Engineering. Our entire community – faculty, staff, students, and alumni – pursue this mission with excellence every day, driving our school to greater heights and making our world a better place.

Raise High Revolutionaries!
John Lach
Dean

As the use of artificial intelligence (AI) dramatically increases globally, concerns have arisen over the energy consumption required to train AI models. It’s estimated that training AI models like GPT-3 consumes as much energy as 130 U.S. homes annually or streaming 1,625,000 hours of Netflix. Professor Gina Adam of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) Department was awarded the Department of Energy (DOE) Early Career Research Award to support her work in developing brain-inspired hardware and algorithms that consume significantly less energy than current AI models. 

March 3 from 3:30-4:30pm: Trustworthy AI Universitywide Course: Humanistic Views on Trust, Creativity, and AI by Alexa Joubin

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March 4 from 12-1pm: The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence in Public Health, Law & Society

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March 5, 12, 19 & 26 from 12:25-1pm: Women's History Booth

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March 12 from 1pm-2pm: Clearance Preparedness Program 2025

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March 17 from 3:30-4:30pm: Trustworthy AI Universitywide Course: Trust Models and Misinformation in Social Media by David Broniatowski

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March 22: Veteran Day of Service 2025

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March 24 from 3:30-4:30pm: Trustworthy AI Universitywide Course: Global AI Governance by Susan Aaronson

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March 25 from 3:30-4:30pm: GW Engineering Career Chat: Spring 2025

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“Doing good work with integrity matters.” This is the guiding principle behind Saniya LeBlanc’s career, shaping her commitment to ethical research, education, sustainability, and equity. Through federally funded work at the intersection of materials science, energy conversion, and thermal transport, she is helping to build a cleaner, more resilient future. LeBlanc’s distinguished career has earned her the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), the highest honor for early-career researchers given by the U.S. government.

Senior Capstone Team Designs Custom Prosthesis for Local Farmer

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 Professor Yun Shen Named to AAEES 40 Under 40 

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Exploring the Dynamic Relationship Between AI and Cybersecurity

 

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GW Engineering Builds Connections at IEEE-HKN Student Leadership Conference

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Prof. Broniatowski Serves on NASEM Committee on Understanding and Addressing Misinformation about Science

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Artful Flow Visualizations Broaden Appreciation of Fluid Mechanics

 

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In the press release, "Researchers Develop Eco-Friendly Lithium Technology Used for Electric Vehicle Batteries," GW Media Relations detailed a new study led by Xitong Liu, a professor of civil and environmental engineering, which showcases an innovative method to extract and purify lithium from geothermal brines. The study, Electro-driven direct lithium extraction from geothermal brines to generate battery-grade lithium hydroxide’’was published in Nature Communications.

Each department within GW Engineering has its own team dedicated to supporting its community. In the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Kaydeen Taylor leads operations to ensure everything runs smoothly for students and faculty alike. 

Q: How long have you been working at GW, and what is your position?

A: I have been working at GW for 1 year and 3 months. I am the Department Operations Lead for the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Q: What led you to this career?

A: I love education and want to positively impact and shape students’ academic and professional journeys.

Q: Why did you choose GW?

A: I chose GW due to its academic rigor, diverse and inclusive community, location, networking opportunities, reputation, and global perspectives through the different programs offered locally and internationally.

On February 19, Dr. Punit Prakash, who joined GW Engineering last fall, was installed as the Alisann and Terry Collins Professor of Biomedical Engineering in a ceremony at the Science and Engineering Hall. Prakash brings a wealth of knowledge and leadership to the school that promises to enhance the visibility and impact of our biomedical engineering research while expanding educational opportunities.

Experts from the worlds of policy, industry and research convened at the George Washington University on February 3 and 4 to explore questions around integrating AI into the workplace during “AI at Work: Building and Evaluating Trust,” a conference hosted by the Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law and Society.

From February 18th to March 2nd, GW Engineering joined the national Engineers Week celebration to support career growth, strengthen community bonds, and honor the innovations shaping how we live, work, and connect happening here within the walls of the Science and Engineering Hall. 

The GW Engineering Career Services Center created the Career Chat series to help students navigate the often daunting process of transitioning to the workforce. These informal chats allow students to explore the resources available to them and gain actionable advice tailored to their goals.

The GWU-PREP is a collaboration with GWU in Washington, DC and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. GWU-PREP provides research opportunities at NIST to students, faculty, research staff, and postdoctoral researchers at GW as well as researchers at SURA-affiliated universities.

We support your ambitions by offering financial support to eligible GW community members, including a monthly stipend, hourly wage, or full tuition reimbursement for qualifying undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff.