From research into tsunami-resistant structures to the creation of microscopic disease fighters, the work being conducted by engineers at Johns Hopkins is laying the groundwork for advances that will, over the next decade, change the world. At the core of this research is the innovative, entrepreneurial spirit of our faculty.
Thanks to the generous support of many alumni, the Dean’s Leadership Fund allows the dean to invest in compelling research opportunities as faculty members make groundbreaking discoveries.
Gil Decker ’58, a longtime supporter of the School of Engineering, notes that there is significant competition among the top engineering departments in American universities for innovative young faculty members. “The quality and long-term success of the Whiting School depends critically on attracting and keeping such faculty,” he says. “I specified my gift to go toward the Dean’s Leadership Fund because it is used [in part] to support the research programs for young faculty and their students. I think it’s a terrific vehicle for retaining our superb young faculty members.”
In the Department of Mechanical Engineering, associate professor Allison Okamura has used her funding to develop a new exoskeleton robot. The robot allows her and her colleagues to examine why certain population have motor control deficits—and to develop strategies for rehabilitation. “As engineers, we are uniquely placed to collaborate with neuroscientists in order to quantify those deficits,” she says. “We can then provide compensation methods that will help people with neurological disorders accomplish activities of daily living with ease.” Similarly, in new prosthetics research, Okamura and her collaborators are working toward an artificial hand that can “feel” things the way a natural hand would, a breakthrough that would radically improve life for people with missing limbs.
In Jonah Erlebacher’s lab in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, research supported by the fund focuses on the development of highly porous materials for applications in green technologies, using a combination of experimental and theoretical approaches. One of Erlebacher’s recent achievements was the fabrication of a new nanoporous precious metal catalyst for fuel cells that is simultaneously highly active and highly stable.
Associate Professor Ben Schafer, in the Department of Civil Engineering, is using his Dean’s Leadership funding to conduct research focused primarily on engineering thin-walled structures. “As natural resources become scarce, and society seeks to use a minimum of materials, engineers are designing structures that are thinwalled in their construction,” Schafer explains.
“This funding is helping to bring a completely unique experimental facility online for testing structural components under axial, in-plane bending, and shear consistency with a wall under gravity, wind, and collected wind or seismic forces,” he says. This research, which uses computational modeling and experimental testing, will help researchers better understand the fundamental behavior of materials and help bring that understanding into design methods that can be used by practicing structural engineers.
F. Suzanne Jenniches, MS ’79, is one of the generous supporters of the fund and she appreciates the fund’s support for students. “My engineering degree from the Whiting School has changed my life and I want to create similar opportunities for other students,” she says. “I feel honored to contribute to the growth of the Whiting School of Engineering, which permits JHU to raise the bar in leading-edge technology and activities.”
The Dean’s Leadership Fund also assists the dean in the recruitment of new faculty and in implementing strategic initiatives.
Strategic initiatives were on the mind of Bill Ward ’67 when he made his contribution to the fund. “I was so impressed with the Whiting School’s Strategic Plan, spearheaded by Nick Jones, that I was motivated to give to the Dean’s Leadership Fund,” he says. “My gift provides discretionary funding that will enable Nick to support faculty initiatives and implement the Strategic Plan for the school.”