College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

Transfer graduate student finds new home at Iowa State

Going from a smaller university in an urban area to a larger university in a smaller college town might have been difficult for some, but for mechanical engineering graduate student Murtaza “Murt” Zohair the transition was smooth. Zohair is from Aurora, Ill., part of the greater Chicago area. Growing up he was often reading books …Continue reading “Transfer graduate student finds new home at Iowa State”

Opposites attract: Cyclone engineers team up to improve battery reliability and safety

Energy storage reliability and safety could be improved on everything from electric vehicles to wind turbines because of a research project involving an interdisciplinary team of Iowa State University engineers. Chao Hu, assistant professor of mechanical engineering (ME), is the principal investigator (PI) on a project titled “Physics-Based Probabilistic Prognostics for Battery Health Management.” Simon …Continue reading “Opposites attract: Cyclone engineers team up to improve battery reliability and safety”

Iowa State engineers study glass in batteries as a way to increase performance and safety

Iowa State University’s Steve Martin has researched battery materials for 30-plus years. He has a new grant that will allow him to expand his fundamental materials studies into research and development of new, all-solid-state technology for actual batteries. He calls it a “dream-come-true” project.

German student finds new research avenues and experiences at Iowa State

What brings a student all the way to Ames, Iowa from Münster, Germany? For Johannes Betz, it was the promise of expanding his battery research and achieving his goals of creating a sustainable future. Pursuing a master’s degree, Betz knew he wanted to expand his studies and go abroad. He reached out to his professors …Continue reading “German student finds new research avenues and experiences at Iowa State”

Iowa State University awarded $3 million from ARPA-E for transformational energy technology

Researchers in the College of Engineering work to create a low-cost, safe and efficient sodium-based battery While lithium-ion batteries have proven their worth in storing energy on a smaller scale, Steve W. Martin says an alternative solution is necessary for storing large amounts of energy, like the gigawatts of wind energy now being harvested from …Continue reading “Iowa State University awarded $3 million from ARPA-E for transformational energy technology”

Developing new batteries for space exploration

Batteries have become such a modern day convenience that many times we don’t think about them until they need recharged or replaced. Even in space, batteries make life easier by advancing exploration when they are used in land rovers, astronaut equipment and energy storage devices. But creating a battery for space exploration requires some interesting …Continue reading “Developing new batteries for space exploration”

Iowa State professor and PhD student explore potential of using silicon in lithium-ion batteries

Offering such benefits as extended usage and increased portability, lithium-ion batteries have become a key component in consumer electronics and other important devices. Two researchers at Iowa State are looking at ways to improve the technology within the batteries by providing more insight into how silicon could be integrated as an electrode material. Valery Levitas, …Continue reading “Iowa State professor and PhD student explore potential of using silicon in lithium-ion batteries”

Iowa State engineer developing technology to enhance battery life in portable devices

Soldiers carrying sophisticated communication and navigation devices into the field have the same battery headaches as civilians working their smart phones at the airport. One way to assure that soldiers have an adequate power supply for their electronic tools has been to strap extra batteries to their backs. But Ayman Fayed, an Iowa State assistant …Continue reading “Iowa State engineer developing technology to enhance battery life in portable devices”

Loading...