For Release:         Immediate – October 5, 2016

Contact:                Jerry Gretzinger, Vice President of Strategic Communications and Public Relations ­

(518) 956-7359 | jgretzinger@sunypoly.edu

National Science Foundation Selects SUNY Poly for Research Award

Professor’s 2nd NSF Award Brings Grant Total Over $290,000

UTICA – SUNY Polytechnic Institute Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Dr. Firas Khasawneh has been selected by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to receive $93,111 in funding for ongoing research at the Utica Campus. The award is part of a larger grant by the NSF committing nearly $300,000 to the project Machine Learning on Dynamical Systems via Topological Features that partners Dr. Khasawneh with researchers at the University at Albany and Michigan State University.  In April, the NSF awarded Dr. Khasawneh $196,000 for a separate research project on high-level mathematics in data analysis.

“This award is further proof that our faculty at SUNY Poly is unsurpassed in their dedication and commitment to offering the finest education and innovation in both the classroom and the lab,” said Dr. Robert Geer, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for SUNY Poly. “The funding from this award recognizes the importance of Dr. Khasawneh’s research and we offer him our sincere congratulations.”

“This is a terrific example of the important work that is being done by our faculty and I speak for all our colleagues in congratulating Dr. Khasawneh on this accomplishment,” said Dr. William Durgin, SUNY Poly Provost. “We are quite proud of the research conducted by Dr. Khasawneh and the validation of his work through this significant grant award from the National Science Foundation.”

Dr. Khasawneh’s research seeks to further the understanding, analysis and usefulness of complex 21^st century datasets by developing the necessary, novel mathematical and computational tools at the intersection of topological data analysis, dynamical systems, and machine learning.  The impact of the research would enhance methods for laser-based additive manufacturing and manufacturing of smart drug delivery systems, as well as bioengineering, in addition to other applications.

“Dr. Khasawneh is a rising star in the College of Engineering,” said Dr. Andrew Wolfe, Interim Dean of the College of Engineering. “This second NSF grant will help propel the Mechanical Engineering Department and the College of Engineering into the research arena.  These grants will allow our students to work on the cutting edge of machine design and modeling.”

“I am very grateful for winning two NSF awards in one year, and I am proud to see that the scholarship of my research group is receiving some of the highest recognition from my peers,” Dr. Khasawneh said. “These two awards speak to the innovative research being done at SUNY Poly and I am looking forward to the challenging but exciting work ahead.”

Dr. Khasawneh’s colleagues on the project include Dr. Elizabeth Munch, Assistant Professor of Mathematics and Statistics at University of Albany and Dr. Jose Perea, Assistant Professor of Computational Mathematics, Science and Engineering at Michigan State University.

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