Design, metamaterials, sensing technologies, and engineering-learning infrastructure.

AI-enabled engineering design platform

The project is developing an AI-guided design-methods coach integrated with openly licensed, multimodal instructional modules. The platform will provide contextual prompts, help students select and justify methods, support reflection on trade-offs, and improve accessibility and instructional consistency in the MAE 451 / MAE 494 senior design sequence. AI augments faculty instruction rather than replacing it; the platform is not intended for automated grading or surveillance.

Students: Hadley Douglas (MAE); Bryce Lin and Sai Krishna Arthanari (CSE). The MAE student leads the mechanical design development, while the CSE students support LLM development for the AI-enabled design platform. Co-advising with Dr. Roshan Ayyalasomayajula.

Explore the full AI in Engineering and Education portfolio →

Customizable metallic and polymeric orthodontic brackets

Two complementary studies compare bracket geometry, slot accuracy, surface finish, torque transfer, mechanical integrity, fatigue, manufacturability, and cost. The metallic track evaluates stainless-steel CNC machining, metal additive manufacturing, and EDM slot cutting. The polymeric track evaluates CNC and SLA-based fabrication using candidate biocompatible dental resins. Both tracks combine CAD, FEA, dimensional inspection, microscopy, mechanical testing, and design iteration.

Students: Mahdi Howlader — metallic brackets; Piyush Ohri — polymeric brackets. Co-advising with Dr. Ashish Gurav and Steven Makowka.

Mechanical metamaterials and architected structures

Active research:Two Fall 2026 projects consolidate complementary Summer 2026 concepts into publication-oriented studies. One combines mechanical state-setting and latching with interlayer-coupled memory to study state-dependent response; the second combines instability-induced switching with reconfigurable memory to study sequential transitions under designed coupling. Master’s student Jeremy Kandler is extending the work through nonlinear FEA, redesign, fabrication/testing integration, and manuscript development.

Related senior design: A disorder-tolerant self-ordering multistable metamaterial is being developed in which each snap-through event redistributes load and changes the effective thresholds of the remaining cells, using a hybrid spring-steel and 3D-printed architecture. See the Senior Design portfolio →

Undergraduate students: Brandon Alcera, Zachary Walsh, Joedarney Gaston, George Zou, and Musleh Saeed.
Master's student: Jeremy Kandler.

Piezoelectric crack detection, analysis, and autonomous repair

A compact wireless device combines a surface-mounted PZT transmitter–receiver pair with an onboard adhesive-delivery mechanism. An Arduino drives guided waves, compares received signals with an intact-plate baseline, streams data for MATLAB analysis, and actuates a motor-driven valve when an anomaly is detected. The 3D-printed housing integrates sensing, batteries, electronics, reservoir, tubing, and actuation. ANSYS simulations and steel-plate experiments support the detection method, while adhesive release and amplitude recovery demonstrate a practical step toward joining structural-health monitoring with localized active mitigation. The resulting manuscript has been accepted for publication in Actuators.

Students: Andrew Hildreth, Olivia Manley, Dan DeFord, Danny Tantalo, Dylan Albicker, and Joe Clement.
Collaboration: Dr. Nikta Amiri, Alfred University; and Dr. Maryam Nasri, SUNY Buffalo State University.