Students at Drexel University will conduct research in partnership with manufacturers from across Pennsylvania as part of the Department of Community and Economic Development's Manufacturing PA Innovation initiative.
This fall, students from Drexel University will be helping Pennsylvania companies advance sustainable manufacturing and circular economy practices as part of a $3.1 million investment by the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development The DCED’s Manufacturing PA Innovation Program will support student research on campus and on-site with manufacturers across the state that will provide data to help the companies evaluate new products and processes.
Drexel students will take part in seven of the 47 projects supported by the initiative, now in its eighth year. Among the projects are efforts to expand manufacturing of glass for solar panels, lightweight aggregate material for sound barriers and nanomaterials for clean hydrogen production. Each one-year project is eligible to receive up to $70,000 in funding to support the work of student researchers and a faculty advisor in collaboration with their industry partner.
“Drexel is excited to participate in the DCED’s efforts to drive innovative solutions to some of Pennsylvania’s biggest industrial opportunities,” said Aleister Saunders, PhD, Drexel’s vice provost of Research and Innovation and interim dean of the Nick Howley College of Engineering and Computing. “Not only is this an opportunity for our students to learn by working alongside industry partners, but it is an extension of our university’s core mission of preparing students to be creative problem solvers, ready to take on real-world challenges as they enter their careers.”
Some of the manufacturing challenges they’ll address as part of the initiative include explorations of how to modify an existing product for a new use, how to improve quality and efficiency in current practices and how to create a manufacturing process for an entirely new product.
In partnership with Vitro Architectural Glass, the U.S.’s largest glass manufacturer, students advised by Jason Baxter, PhD, a professor in the Howley College of Engineering and Computing, will examine how adjusting its production and coating processes could enable it to produce glass for high-efficiency solar panels — and the costs associated with these changes.
“This is an excellent opportunity for Drexel to share its expertise in solar materials research with one of Pennsylvania’s top manufacturers and for our students to learn alongside industry experts,” Baxter said. “Collaborations like this also establish and strengthen relationships that provide pathways for employment for our students upon graduation.”
A research group, led by Robert Swan, PhD, a teaching professor in the Howley College of Engineering and Computing, will seek to optimize a new design for the sound barrier wall material used along highways. The gabion-style barrier will use ultra-lightweight foamed glass aggregate — produced by their industry partner Eddystone, Pennsylvania’s own AeroAggregates of North America, LLC — enclosed in geotextiles to create a sound-absorbent structure that would be a more sustainable and cost-effective alternative to the concrete barriers currently used.
Students working with Amir Farnam, PhD, a professor in the Howley College of Engineering and Computing, will work with the industrial recycling company R&M International LLC in Fort Washington, Pennsylvania, to develop a formula for converting recycled carbon fibers into BioFiber – a self-healing fiber system, created at Drexel, for reinforced concrete.
“The earlier in their academic career students become involved with applying their research in pursuit of answers to real-life challenges, the more engaged they become with the learning process and more likely they are to discover the path they wish to follow after graduation,” Farnam said. “Drexel creates these experiential learning opportunities through partnerships like this one with DCED, and our many co-op employers that enable our students to learn by doing.”
In collaboration with the Radnor-based polyurethane product manufacturer FXI, students working with Andrew Magenau, PhD, an associate professor in the Howley College of Engineering and Computing, will explore the production of a composite nanomaterial that could be used as a low-cost catalyst for making clean hydrogen gas.
Other Drexel projects include collaborations with ULTRAFIX, Inc., looking at orthopedic technology; developing a catheter coating with Lenima Field Diagnostics LLC; and working with GSK Pharmaceuticals to improve sensors for residue detection in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
In addition to Baxter, Farnam, Swan and Magenau, Howley College of Engineering and Computing faculty Ahmad Najafi, PhD; Wan Shih, PhD; Wei-Heng Shih, PhD; and Antonios Zavaliangos, PhD, will serve as advisors for these projects.
As part of the initiative, Drexel and its industry partners will continue to explore experiential learning opportunities for students, including establishing new co-op positions — further enhancing the University’s flagship experiential learning program.
In total, 237 companies have benefitted from the state’s $21 million invested in the program since 2018. This year, Drexel led the way among university partners, with seven projects totaling more than $400,000. Local participants include Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania, Thomas Jefferson University, Temple University, Villanova University and Widener University.
For more information about Manufacturing PA Innovation, visit: https://manufacturingpa.org/index.html