SoE Faculty, Students, and Alumni Receive 2024 Rutgers Innovation Awards
SoE Faculty, Students, and Alumni Receive 2024 Rutgers Innovation Awards
The inaugural Rutgers Innovation Awards banquet, hosted by the Rutgers Office for Research this past September celebrated university researchers who have pioneered innovative ideas, processes, or technologies that could improve lives and create economic value. Close to 150 applications for the awards were evaluated by external experts to determine this year’s winners.
“Across Rutgers, we see breakthrough research, award-winning scholarships, and deeply inspiring creative endeavors,” said Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway. “I salute those who won awards. . . . Together, you give us countless reasons to take pride in Rutgers research and innovation.”
Members of the School of Engineering Community were honored to receive four of the evening’s ten inaugural Innovation Awards – Graduate Student Innovation, Rutgers Startup, Artificial Intelligence/Digital Innovation, and Social Innovation Awards.
Advancing Technology
For Department of Materials Science and Engineering doctoral candidate, Haydee Pacheo, the Graduate Student Innovation Award, is an “incredible honor,” providing an opportunity to advance technology through her optoelectronics research focus on OLEDs, or plasmonic organic light emitting diodes.
According to Pacheo, the award is a testament to the invaluable support and encouragement from her advisors and the Office for Research. She is especially grateful for the university’s commitment to fostering innovative research and providing the resources necessary for success.
Driving Sustainable Innovation
Queens Carbon, the recipient of the Rutgers Startup Award, was founded by SoE alumnus Daniel Kopp, and his PhD advisor Richard Riman, a distinguished professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, to eliminate industrial carbon emissions.
“Our technology can accomplish two important climate change initiatives: decarbonization of cement and concrete as well as carbon removal,” Kopp has said.
According to Riman, the founding of Queens Carbon reflects the power of basic research by graduate students to accelerate the discovery of new technology.
While support from Rutgers Office for Research, and a grant from the Breakthrough Energy Fellows Program facilitated Queens Carbon’s launch, recent Department of Energy funding is enabling the startup to scale their cement decarbonization technology – and fulfill its mission to drive sustainable innovation.
Pushing Technological Boundaries to Benefit Society
Ruo-Qian Wang, an assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering was honored with the Social Innovation Award for his AI-powered flood monitoring and forensic analysis system. “This recognition,” he wrote, “fuels our commitment to pushing the boundaries of technology for societal benefit.”
Working with teammates in WHIRL, his hydro-environment and informatics research lab, Wang has noted that “By harnessing the power of AI, social media, and citizen science, we’re not just improving flood mapping – we’re empowering communities to actively participate in disaster preparedness. Our goal is to transform how we understand and respond to flooding events, making cities safer and more adaptable to climate change.”
Protecting Data in a Digital Landscape
Steg.AI, a company founded by School of Engineering (SoE) alumnus Eric Wengrowski and Professor Kristin Dana from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, is leading next-generation forensic watermarking to ensure the security and authenticity of digital media.
In recognition of his cutting-edge work, Wengrowski received the 2024 Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation Award. Wengrowski emphasizes that commercializing research-based technology doesn’t happen in a vacuum: it is the result of sustained efforts by a talented and dedicated team. His work aims to protect data and ensure authenticity, offering a much-needed solution in today’s digital landscape.
