Engineers stacking NSF awards

Research in South Dakota State University's Jerome J. Lohr College of Engineering is making a growing impact on the state, region and world, and the U.S. federal government is taking notice. Within the last eight weeks, five faculty members in the Lohr College have received sizeable awards from the National Science Foundation — a clear signal of the college's growing research profile.

Meniscus tears
In the Department of Mechanical Engineering, assistant professor Solaiman Tarafder received $200,000 for his two-year study on meniscus tears healing.

Meniscus tears, which occur in the knee, are difficult to heal because of the lack of blood supply to that area. Although surgery is often necessary, it doesn’t always fully resolve the issue, potentially leading to the tear worsening, persistent pain and, eventually, osteoarthritis.

"This research aims to create a hydrophilic polydopamine-fueled bioactive and biodegradable bioadhesive that promotes robust tissue adhesion, improving meniscus tear healing and regeneration," Tarafder explained. "By combining the adhesive properties of hydrophilic polydopamine with the body's natural healing mechanisms, we hope to stimulate essential cellular responses such as stem cell recruitment, proliferation and differentiation."

If successful, Tarafder's work has the potential to significantly improve meniscus tear repair outcomes while also speeding up the healing process.

Understanding AI
The widespread use of artificial intelligence is one of the biggest developments of the decade, but there is still much unknown about it.

Michael Puthawala, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and the CAPITAL Service Scholar in artificial intelligence and machine learning, has received a $249,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to gain a deeper understanding of how algorithms fuel AI function.

"This grant is at the intersection of modern mathematics, artificial intelligence and biology," Puthawala explained. "It will utilize tools from the mathematical fields of topology and geometry to understand better how deep learning works and apply these insights to biological imaging. The grant aims to improve cryogenic electron microscopy algorithms and allow us to see more, smaller and better."

As part of the grant, Puthawala will partner with Jefferson High School in Sioux Falls to engage mathematically curious young students to explore interesting mathematics beyond what they see in regular high school math classes.

"I am taking part of what I learned at the Olga Radko Math Circle at the University of California, Los Angeles, and applying it here," Puthawala said. "I am excited to partner with Jefferson High School."

Analyzing patterns
Through a $300,000 National Science Foundation award, assistant professor Kaiqun Fu of the McComish Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science will identify key collaboration patterns in the emergence of primary technology areas by analyzing extensive academic data from various sources.

"We will use advanced machine learning techniques, such as graph neural networks, to forecast future technology trends and workforce development based on the identified collaboration patterns," Fu explained.

The analysis will aim to predict the potential economic and societal impacts of these collaboration patterns and technologies in regional areas.

Development of statistical methods
Through a two-year, $350,796 National Science Foundation project, associate professor of statistics Semhar Michael and professor of statistics Chris Saunders will develop methods and establish theoretical guarantees for specific types of problems that rely on large, complex data sets. The team's work has applications in forensic source identification and geotemporal intelligence.

In the future, these developed methods may be used to identify the sources of illicit drugs and could help support the intelligence community or criminal justice system.