Award History

Mechanical Engineering Department Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) Awards History

The EPSCoR awards are given in a highly competitive environment. There are 27 EPSCoR states with typically only two proposals forwarded from each state for final selection. Receipt of an EPSCoR award is high recognition for the quality of the proposed research.

NSF EPSCoR Awards

  • 2004, Sushil Louis, George Bebis, Kwang Kim, Darko Koracin, Steve Roberts, Yaakov Varol, Melanie Wetzel, and Woosoon Yim - Cognitive Information Processing
  • 2001, Gordaninejad, Misra, Sutko, Publicover - Nanostructured Materials and Devices

DoD EPSCoR Awards
(18/34 went to UNR Engineering faculty, 7/18 to Mechanical Engineering)

  • 2005, Yanyao Jiang - Development of a Novel Approach for Fatigue Life Prediction of Structured Materials
  • 2004, Kwang Kim - Artificial Muscle-Driven Actively Shaped and Self-Oscillatory Propulsor Blades
  • 2003, Richard Wirtz - Structurally Efficient Anisotropic Organized Reticulated Structures For Cooling Of Electronics and Sensors
  • 2001, Faramarz Gordaninejad - Magneto-Rheological Polymeric Gel Dampers For Vibration Control Of Mechanical Systems
  • 2000, Richard A. Wirtz, - Multi-Functional Materials for Thermal Control of Sensors and Electronics
  • 1999, Richard Wirtz - High Performance Woven Mesh Heat Exchange
  • 1997-1998, Faramarz Gordaninejad - A Novel Magneto-Rheological Shock Absorber for Vibration Control

DOE EPSCoR

  • Miles Greiner - Experimental Benchmarking of Fire Modeling Simulations

Nevada's NASA EPSCoR Internal Awards

  • Jessica Gullbrand - Turbulence Modeling of Solar Convection

The awards listed below are not competitively awarded, but they illustrate the value that NASA places on the research done by the Mechanical Engineering faculty and students.

NASA EPSCoR Research Infrastructure Development Grants

  • Kwang Kim - Nano-Porous Material Development for Use in Space Thermal Management Systems
  • Kwang Kim - Development of an Anthroform Birobotic Actuator Suitable for Space Applications
  • Kwang Kim - Nano-tailored EAP Composites as Electrically Controllable Artificial Muscles, Sensors, and Vibration Dampers for Space Application
  • Kwang Kim - Artificial Muscle Systems for NASA Space Robotics

NASA EPSCoR Student Travel Grants

  • NASA Space Robotics and Extra Vehicular Activity Using Artificial Muscle Systems Kwang Kim, Student: Jason Paquette
  • Carbon Nanotube Growth for Device Development Jesse Adams Student: James Pettit
  • Characterization of a Novel Microcantilever Sensor Design Jesse Adams Student: Ethan Brizendin
  • NASA Sensors Enhancement: Hardware Eric Wang, Mechanical Engineering Student: William Davison, Jr.
  • NASA Sensors Enhancement: Software Eric Wang Student: Christian Rayburn
  • Nanotube technology development and preparation of the MECA Atomic Force Microscope Jesse Adams Student: Ben Rogers
  • Installing and Troubleshooting the MECA AFM Jesse Adams Student: Michael Jones
  • Probe Alignment and Testing of the MECA AFM Jesse Adams Student: Kent Murray Programming the MECA AFM Jesse Adams Student: David York