Spectrum News highlights researchers’ work to remove PFAS from water
New federal rules require nearly all harmful PFAS compounds to be removed from drinking water – a tough challenge with these so-called “forever chemicals.” Professor Yin Wang and Associate Professor Xiaoli Ma, civil & environmental engineering, recently discussed two innovative approaches to improving the efficiency and precision of removal with Spectrum News.
Professor Yin Wang demonstrates how adsorbents are used in PFAS removal.
Ma’s lab is focused on membrane technology, while Wang’s lab works with adsorbents. Both also are contributing to our understanding of PFAS and how prevalent it is in our environment.
Yi named CSI’s Director of Research and joins the EE faculty
Alex Yasha Yi has joined the faculty in electrical engineering and become the Director of Research at the Connected Systems Institute.
He comes to the college from the University of Michigan-Dearborn, where he was a faculty member in the College of Engineering and Computer Science and a Provost Fellow with both the Dearborn campus and the Energy Institute at the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
“His expertise reinforces the already significant growth potential of CSI,” said Joe Hamann, executive director of the institute. “Alex has a proven track record of capturing significant funding from federal agencies and industry partners. We are excited for him to join the team and look forward to continued research advancements he will bring in optoelectronics, solid-state electronics, and advanced manufacturing.”
His areas of research include intelligent solid-state electronics, integrated devices for artificial intelligence, and smart energy-related optoelectronic devices.
Yi has applied nano-optoelectronic devices to applications in energy, solid state lighting, biomedicine, photonic sensors, and autonomous driving. Because they can manipulate light at the atomic scale, integrating optoelectronics can improve performance in devices, compared to larger-scale solutions.
Some of his other research highlights include:
Pioneered textured nanomaterials that interact with light and electricity, advancing thinner, more efficient solar panels and other renewable energy technologies.
Developed a compact Lidar system for , enhancing safety testing of self-driving and connected vehicles.
Created semiconductor-based sensors that detect particles or molecules as small as those in air pollution.
Yi received his PhD from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and was a post-doctoral associate with MIT’s Microsystems Technology Laboratory.
A fellow of the Optical Society of America, Yi has had leadership experiences with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Air Force Research Laboratory, and the 3M Corporate Research Laboratory. He holds 18 issued U.S. patents.
Meet the wireless-sensing expert now leading 51ÁÔĆć’s research mission
Ali Abedi, 51ÁÔĆć’s new Vice Provost for Research, stepped into the role in June and will help steer the future of 51ÁÔĆć’s research enterprise while helping faculty find and fund impactful work. His faculty home is in the Electrical Engineering department in the College of Engineering & Applied Science.
Ali Abedi
Abedi joins 51ÁÔĆć from the University of Maine, where he served as Associate Vice President for Research and was a professor of electrical and computer engineering. Over his 29 years in academia and industry, he’s helped secure more than $43 million in research funding as a principal or co-investigator, with individual awards as large as $20 million from agencies like NASA, NIH, and NSF.
His own research focuses on wireless sensing – technology that gathers information in one place, sends it elsewhere, and uses it to make decisions. He’s led projects in wireless communications and sensor networks with applications ranging from environmental and structural monitoring to space exploration and biomedical devices.
While currently not conducting research in his own lab, he said he is eager to collaborate with others in looking for creative ways to apply wireless sensing concepts to new fields. Laura Otto sat down with him for an interesting conversation.
Why did you want to come to Milwaukee at this moment in higher education?
Everybody said this is the worst time to start a job like this because of all the federal changes. But if I’m going to challenge myself, this might be actually a good time because I think I have some experience that can help faculty. At the same time, there are a lot of compliance issues and federal challenges, so I aim to work as a team to overcome some of these. I think there’s so much potential to move forward here at 51ÁÔĆć.
How can we do the same amount of research with fewer resources?
I view my role here at the research office as the convener of people.
We need to convince industry and provide a process for them so they will see us as the best place for them to do their R&D. So that’s one of my goals – to try to work with the engineering, sciences, and other programs to bring in the local industry to us. With [a centralized] approach, if one person leaves the team, the relationship with the company doesn’t crumble.
“We need to convince industry and provide a process for them so they will see us as the best place for them to do their R&D. So that’s one of my goals – to try to work with the engineering, sciences, and other programs to bring in the local industry to us. With [a centralized] approach, if one person leaves the team, the relationship with the company doesn’t crumble.”
Engineering is definitely one of the big players in this area, but we also need to think about teams working together across disciplines rather than a single investigator.
Why is the cross-disciplinary aspect important?
I’ve already identified several of faculty members who are doing very amazing things in a variety of areas. Now they need to go to the next level.
Building interdisciplinary teamshelps faculty members use their knowledge in ways they might not have thought of working alone. Often those topics that they have already spent research time on have different applications in another field.
Today’s problems are so complex we really need to build teams of faculty from multiple colleges, multiple research centers, and work with multiple companies. We need to connect all of these things in a shareable way. It’s a model that federal agencies advocate.
Others have tried to do this, but the university’s financial model makes it challenging.
Yes, but if you keep doing what you’ve always done, you cannot expect different results.
51ÁÔĆć uses a unique model, which returns 80% of the indirect costs for the research to the host college. But very few institutions are using this approach.
Instead, we should keep a portion of that centrally to be able to support faculty who collaborate across colleges.
The programs we put together in Maine offered more money to projects that included two or three faculty from multiple colleges. The intent was the collaboration would bring in follow-on money. Then, part of the growing proceeds would go back to the campus.
The resources will come if we show improvement. I’m sure the Board of Regents will look at us very differently if they see there’s a culture change here in terms of productivity.
Interdisciplinary also is popular with students, correct?
Yes, and it also helps with the retention. I used to run the undergraduate research center at my previous institution for many years. Right before accepting this job, we had finished the tracking of 500 students over the years.
We found that those who went through a research experience – almost over 98% of them – graduated with a degree. But for those who did not have the research experience, the retention rate was 60%.
It mirrors other studies on the topic which determined that, as soon as students come and work with a faculty member, no matter in what discipline, it gives them a sense of belonging to the university, helps them feel that people rely on them, and that their role on a research team makes them more motivated in their studies.
“Dr. Abedi brings a collaborative perspective to an all-campus research agenda,” said Andy Graettinger, associate dean for research in the college. “Our college stands to benefit greatly as we weave our faculty’s engineering and computer science expertise across campus under his guidance.”
Two startups from the college earn Bridge Grant funding
Two faculty members from the College of Engineering & Applied Science recently received Bridge Grants from the 51ÁÔĆć Research Foundation to advance their startup companies.
Launched in 2021, the Research Foundation Bridge Grant Program helps high-potential 51ÁÔĆć startups overcome early funding gaps and accelerate their growth. Bridge Grants are supported by a Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation Capital Catalyst grant and donors Dennis and Sue Webb, and Chris and Karl Fiasca.
RoboHeal Innovations
Habib Rahman, professor and chair, mechanical engineering
 is helping powered wheelchair users regain independence with its robotic assistive arm, designed to support daily tasks like eating and opening doors. Developed at 51ÁÔĆć’s BioRobotics Lab, the arm uses intuitive controls, such as eye-gaze and chin-operated joysticks.
Intelligent Composites
Pradeep Rohatgi, professor, materials science & engineering
is improving drone engine performance with ultra-light, high-strength, self-lubricating aluminum composites. The drone’s cylinder liners, made of self-lubricating and lightweight composites, boost fuel efficiency, reduce oil consumption, reduce emissions, and extend range. The company is now developing advanced liners for compressors, small engines, and generators, in addition to drones.
Wind energy researcher wins the 2025 ASME Turbo Expo Early Career Engineer Award
Saif Al Hamad (’24 PhD, mechanical engineering), a research associate in the 51ÁÔĆć Wind Tunnel Facility, has been named a recipient of the 2025 ASME Turbo Expo Early Career Engineer (TEECE) Award, a prestigious honor presented by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’ International Gas Turbine Institute (IGTI).
This award recognizes outstanding early-career professionals in the field of turbomachinery who have demonstrated excellence in research and are actively contributing to advancements in energy systems. Only 20 engineers worldwide were selected for the 2025 cohort.
Al Hamad, who also is assistant director at the U.S. DOEÂ , presented his work on how new blade shapes work together with the air to make small wind turbines more efficient. By designing better blade shapes and understanding how air interacts with them, engineers can make wind turbines that produce more power, even at small sizes.
The TEECE Award supports recipients by providing registration and travel to the ASME Turbo Expo conference recently held in Memphis, Tenn. The award is open to engineers who are within five years of earning their most recent degree in a turbomachinery-related discipline.
Three 51ÁÔĆć doctoral students also presented at the same conference, Kada Kada, Areej Khalil, and Md Tarif Raihan. All are advised by Ryo Amano, Kulwicki Fellow Professor.
Rammer cohosts the Philippines’ only motion analysis lab benefiting children
While Jacob Rammer was still a PhD student, he and his advisor built a human motion analysis lab on a shoestring budget – using off-the-shelf parts instead of expensive commercial systems. Their goal? To provide functional, affordable technology to hospitals in countries where standard labs like those in the U.S. are out of reach.
That scrappy effort eventually blossomed into a powerful partnership. Thanks to a connection with a post-doctoral researcher from the Philippines, Rammer and his advisor formed ties with clinicians at the University of the Philippines-Manila and the Philippine General Hospital.
The impact has been significant.
The Philippines stretches across 2,000 inhabited islands; Philippine General in Manila is the only place in the nation where children with mobility issues – caused by conditions like cerebral palsy, brittle bone disease, and cancer – can receive specialized orthopedic care.
Rammer places reflective markers and knee alignment devices on the patient to identify key anatomical landmarks in movement tracking. Rammer is introducing a prototype smartphone app to collect data in real-world settings. (Photos used with permission from Philippine General Hospital.)
What is human motion analysis? “Think of a room fitted with cameras around the perimeter,” explained Rammer, now an assistant professor of biomedical engineering. “We place reflective markers on the patient’s body, and a computer translates their movement into precise data that shows us how they walk or move.”
What began as a low-cost lab experiment has a service record of 4,000 patients. Today, the collaboration also includes research, offering Rammer’s lab a rare opportunity to study diverse, often underrepresented conditions.
What engineering researchers offer
“Most of our patients have cerebral palsy, a disease that can vary significantly from child to child,” Rammer said. “This kind of technology really helps clinicians figure out what’s working, and what’s not.”
The exacting data the lab provides is vital for pediatric patients, especially those going into or recovering from surgery. Many use braces, orthotics, or wheelchairs and it’s crucial for doctors to know how they’re progressing after they go home.
“After surgery, parents naturally want to be protective,” Rammer said. “But for bones to heal and grow properly, kids need physical stress. The challenge is striking a balance – encouraging safe activity without putting them at risk.”
To help maintain that balance, Rammer and his students developed a smartphone app that tracks patients’ movement and activity levels. It allows clinicians to stay connected between visits – and gives them insight into how recovery is going at home.
From Milwaukee to Manila: student involvement
The app supports comprehensive gait analysis and collects daily movement data – offering a fuller picture of long-term mobility during rehabilitation. Eventually, Rammer hopes to automate the system using AI, giving doctors a dashboard view of any issues in real time. “Right now, we’re pulling the data manually and recording it on Excel sheets,” he said. “But soon, clinicians could get immediate updates and alerts about mobility problems without having to dig through files.”
Rammer hasn’t yet taken students with him to the Philippines (though a study abroad course is in the works). Still, they’re deeply involved. Undergraduate students in his lab help process the data and learn how to draw conclusions. They’re also collaborating with master’s students in bioinformatics to develop the app’s backend and data tools.
And because the work often requires custom solutions, students are involved in building both software and physical devices. “Every research project leads us to invent something – whether it’s a tool, a sensor, or a program,” he said
For Rammer, the partnership fills a major research gap.
“Milwaukee isn’t a huge city, and it’s really difficult to find large patient populations with the specific conditions I study,” he said. “But in Manila, I have access to every child with brittle bone disease in a country of more than 100 million people. It’s a truly unique opportunity.”
See more photos .
Design funding awarded for future Engineering & Neuroscience Project
Nearly $7 million has been designated to begin the design phase of the Engineering & Neuroscience Project, which includes the renovation of the Engineering & Mathematical Sciences (EMS) Building to include more open, collaborative and student-focused engineering and computer science spaces, particularly on the first through third floors.
The funding was recently approved in the 2025-2027 Wisconsin capital budget.
The full project will involve the relocation of the 51ÁÔĆć Planetarium, the demolition of the outdated Physics Building, and the construction of a new shared STEM facility to house additional Engineering and Psychology/Neuroscience facilities.
This design funding will position the campus to advocate for construction funding in the 27-29 state capital budget.
“Now that the 51ÁÔĆć Health Sciences Renovation project is approved for construction, the Engineering and Neuroscience project rises as 51ÁÔĆć’s top building priority,” said Andy Graettinger, associate dean for research in the College of Engineering & Applied Science.
“When completed, the project will put our college in a position to attract more students and better serve the state’s technologically advanced workforce needs.”
More than 80% of 51ÁÔĆć’s graduates remain in Wisconsin to live and work. Graduates of the college are in high demand across Wisconsin and beyond.
Biomedical engineering, including advanced imaging research being performed in the college, will benefit from closer interactions with neuroscience researchers in this new facility.
The design will propose the renovation of teaching laboratories in the first three floors of the EMS building, which was opened in 1970, to be refreshed in the style of the 2023 renovation of the building’s 9th and 10th floor labs, a transformation that came in under budget and with strong community approval.
Civil engineering student and his startup get exposure in Milwaukee Magazine
Milwaukee Magazine picked up a story featuring PhD student Joel Roberts, civil & environmental engineering, that first appeared on the 51ÁÔĆć REPORT and then on the on July 14. Roberts has turned a traffic data analytics platform he created into a new startup company. .
Navy dignitary’s visit spotlights Cuzner’s lab and attracts news media
As part of Navy Week in Milwaukee in July, Rear Admiral Matthew Pottenburgh, stopped at the USR building for a short tour of the Rob Cuzner’s lab. Cuzner, professor, electrical engineering, has about $3 million in active grants from the Office of Naval Research and Naval Sea Command to find the right architecture for energy systems for electric ships. A group of media also showed up to tag along and hear what the admiral had to say about 51ÁÔĆć’s energy research.
“There’s really not a naval ship that doesn’t have some kind of equipment on them that are specifically related to shipboard electrification,” Pottenburgh said. “And that research begins right here at the University of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.”
View the coverage:
Students fire up their curiosity at “Foundry in a Box” workshop
Molten metal, custom keychains, and hands-on science. That’s what greeted ten high school students from the TRIO and 51ÁÔĆć Precollege Program when they stepped into 51ÁÔĆć’s Foundry Lab on July 10 for this summer’s second “Foundry in a Box” event.
Hosted by the 51ÁÔĆć College of Engineering & Applied Science, the workshop turns complex concepts into tangible fun – offering a deep dive into the world of metal casting.
Students kicked things off with a brief but engaging lesson from Pradeep Rohatgi, 51ÁÔĆć’s Foundry Educational Foundation (FEF) Key Professor, who walked them through how casting has helped shape modern life.
He also spotlighted impressive achievements of 51ÁÔĆć Foundry Lab students, who present at national conferences, and have access to scholarships, paid internships, and paid undergraduate research.
Professor Pradeep Rohatgi, materials science & engineering (left) and a workshop participant display a cast metal Panther paw.A workshop participant holds a starfish souvenir he made with tin. A group of participants and mentors enjoy the workshop.
Then students rolled up their sleeves and packed sand molds for personalized metal castings. With help from 51ÁÔĆć student volunteers, they watched molten tin poured into molds, then took home the shiny results: their own handcrafted keychains and accessories.
Incoming engineering student Katin Ekins shared how attending a Foundry in a Box session helped shape her path to 51ÁÔĆć.
The event sparked plenty of questions – and inspiration – as students explored the possibilities of engineering and the foundry industry. A 51ÁÔĆć video crew was also on hand to capture the lab’s outreach on film.
Each year, 51ÁÔĆć hosts multiple Foundry in a Box events for middle and high school students and their teachers.
51ÁÔĆć has been an FEF school since 1996. Over the years, FEF support has fueled scholarships, upgraded lab facilities, and expanded student research – helping prepare the next generation of Wisconsin’s foundry professionals.
