CAES is pleased to announce the participants for the 2022 CAES Summer Visiting Faculty Program. The collaborative program is scheduled to begin May 16 with six research teams comprised of faculty members from the CAES universities and researchers from Idaho National Laboratory.
In its fifth year, the program pairs university faculty and researchers throughout the summer, with the goal of developing a joint-funded research proposal of value to both parties. Past projects that have received funding include:
• An offshoot of a project led by Boise State University (BSU) Professor Mike Hurley that led to the installation of a 3D metal printer for nuclear grade materials at CAES.
• A project led by Idaho State University (ISU) Professor Irene van Woerden and INL Director of Communications and Outreach Rae Moss that called for an in-depth analysis of the public perceptions of nuclear energy.
• A project led by Boise State’s Edoardo Serra that used Lego Mindstorms to help teachers inspire middle-school students pursue careers in cybersecurity.
The summer visiting faculty program is key to CAES’ effort to enable the one-on-one collaborations needed to build and sustain a research collaboration ecosystem, per the CAES Strategy. It provides university participants access to the national laboratory, allowing them to learn about its inner workings, capabilities and expertise, while building lasting networks between INL researchers and their students and colleagues. For INL researchers, the program offers an opportunity to build new academic connections, gain exposure to diversified funding opportunities and connect with students supporting the faculty member. Participants were selected based on proposals submitted by faculty. They were then paired with an INL researcher.
Here is a list of those selected, along with their INL counterparts:
• Dahzi Yang, a professor in Educational Technology at BSU, will collaborate with Hillary Fishler, CAES, and John Koudelka, INL’s Nuclear Science and Technology directorate (NS&T)
• Minhaz Zibran, an associate professor of Computer Science at ISU, will collaborate with Austin Carter and Josh Peterson-Droogh, NS&T
• Rajib Mahamud, an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at ISU, will collaborate with Ahmed Hamed, INL’s Energy and Environment Science & Technology directorate
• Hasan Jamil, an associate professor of Computer Science at University of Idaho (UI), will collaborate with Shad Staples, NS&T
• Matthew Swenson, an assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering at UI, will collaborate with Kaustubh Bawane, Materials & Fuels Complex (MFC)
• Alex Vakanski, an assistant professor in Industrial Technology at UI will collaborate with Fei Xu, MFC, and Yachun Wang, NS&T
