College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

Cyclone Engineers selected to lead $12-million Dept. of Energy project to build rural Iowa’s first ‘microgrid’

The $11.9 million investment would provide Montezuma with a microgrid, a small-scale electricity network that can operate as an independent system or can be connected to the larger grid.

Could the future of powering Iowa homes and farms be microbes?

“We’re developing computationally engineered enzymes that are faster and more efficient at breaking down lignin, the world’s second most abundant renewable carbon source, into simple saccharides and energy. This breakthrough holds promise for potential integration into non-toxic, biodegradable biobattery systems that could power agricultural tools and even whole houses.”

Cheng Huang receives NSF CAREER award to attain omnidirectional and efficient wireless power transfer systems

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering Harpole-Pentair Assistant Professor Cheng Huang has been selected for a 2023 National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award for his project, “Towards 3D Omnidirectional and Efficient Wireless Power.”
CAREER awards are the NSF’s most prestigious awards given to early-career faculty. The support aims to build a firm foundation for leadership in integrating research and education.

Jacob Wheaton gains international collaboration through MSE

“I like the fact there are a lot of different problems to solve in engineering,” Wheaton said. “There is always something to work towards, and it’s very satisfying when you find the solution. And I just really enjoy learning, and with materials engineering, it is easy to do a deep dive into a range of topics.”

Jacob Eisbrenner: Guardsman, student and Cyclone Engineer

“Ever since I was a kid, my dad and I were always in the garage, tinkering, tearing apart old cars,” said Jacob Eisbrenner, Ph.D. student in electrical engineering. “I used to always think about the design of all the different components and how they could be better.”

Hugo Villegas Pico receives NSF CAREER award to cement research of long-term electromagnetic-transient simulations

Department of electrical and computer engineering Harpole-Pentair Assistant Professor Hugo Villegas Pico has been selected for a 2023 National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER) award for his project “Advances to the EMT Modeling and Simulation of Restoration Processes for Future Grids.”  

Peter Collins and Richard LeSar to lead multi-university team for ONR-funded metallic gradient materials project

The Office of Naval Research has funded a new project to conduct critical fundamental research on gradient metallic materials. The project, “Design and Manufacture of Metallic Gradient Materials,” is a three-university, five-year research partnership led by Iowa State University.

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