July 2022 Statler Circuit: Department Digest and Awards

Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

Experts from across academic, industrial, commercial suppliers and governmental agencies nationwide met July 21-22 to attend the EXO-Assisted Future Construction: Work, Workers, and Workplaces workshop hosted by West Virginia University and University of Wisconsin – Madison, funded through an NSF grant and sponsored by the National Science Foundation. The participants provided insights and exchanged opinions regarding facilitators, barriers and potential solutions of adopting exoskeletons and exosuits in construction workplaces. The information was shared with top researchers in exoskeleton fields, such as Virginia Tech and UC Berkeley, through NIOSH. 

The development of exoskeleton technology will assist and support construction trade workers in their work. Exoskeletons are mechanical devices fitted with motorized joints in parallel to the human body, whereas exosuits are made of soft, lightweight, compliant materials. Both, collectively called EXOs, could augment human motions and allow for more lifting strength to improve production on repetitive tasks, such as squatting, bending or walking. As a result, workers can carry or lift heavy loads with greater ease, which will reduce their risk of injury and work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs).  

This workshop took place to help gain understanding and spearhead this new field. The research team, including Associate Professor Fei Dai, was invited to give a presentation on the Exo project at the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Construction Sector Council Meeting in November. 

 

Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering 

Partha Sarker, a graduate student in electrical engineering, has had “Resiliency Metrics for Monitoring and Analysis of Cyber-Power Distribution Systems with the IoTs” accepted and published in the IEEE Internet of Things Journal, one of the top journals of IEEE. This work highlights how introducing Internet of Things (IoTs) based distributed energy resources into the distribution system of the energy grid, makes the system more efficient, reliable, and resilient during adverse events, such as natural disasters and cyber intrusions. 

This research has also been presented in the “Tools and Metrics for Microgrid Design and Evaluation” panel at the IEEE Power & Energy Society General Meeting 2022 in Denver, Colorado. 

 

Mining Engineering

Mustafa Can Suner, a graduate student in mining engineering, received the 2022 Master of Science Thesis Award at the American Rock Mechanics Association conference last month. Suner’s thesis is titled “The Effect of Natural Fractures on the Mechanical Behavior of Limestone Pillars: A Synthetic Rock Mass Approach Application.” 

According to the American Rock Mechanics Association’s website, ARMA serves its members and the public as the recognized representative of multi-disciplinary advancements and applications in rock mechanics. ARMA recognizes outstanding contributions in rock mechanics and rock engineering through six annual awards.  

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