NSF Career Awards for two CEGE faculty members

Raphael Stern and Boya Xiong, early career faculty in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geo- Engineering, have each received a prestigious Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award from the National Science Foundation (NSF).

For Raphael Stern, the underlying question in many of his projects is how can we use data to improve the management of transportation systems? Stern’s CAREER award, “Harnessing Artificial Intelligence to Improve the Efficiency of Transportation Control Infrastructure,” will leverage individual vehicle trajectory data to study traffic flow dynamics using a multiscale formulation. Stern intends to support the creation of new traffic models and to create novel traffic control strategies, the goal of which is more efficient traffic control without the need for a major overhaul of our transportation infrastructure. Stern’s work will save investment and cost for infrastructure managers while improving traffic efficiency and reducing traffic congestion and travel time.

Boya Xiong’s CAREER Award is titled “Unraveling Nanoplastic Release from Nanoscale Mechanical Degradation: Enabling sustainable design of polymers and defining future engineer.” Microplastics and nanoplastics result primarily from the breakdown of bulk plastics. The sources, release mechanisms, and rates of plastic degradation remain poorly defined, however. In her CAREER project, Xiong will study an overlooked mechanism, surface abrasive wear at the nanoscale. The project leverages novel advanced atomic force microscopy methods to visualize the mechanism of nanoplastic release. Outcomes include how abrasion conditions, plastic properties, and UV-exposure shape the profile of the plastic that is released, enabling risk assessment and screening tools for future polymers. Engagement with industry will accelerate the discovery of solutions to mitigate nanoplastic pollution.

The CAREER Program offers the National Science Foundation’s most prestigious awards in support of early-career faculty. It is given to faculty who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education and to lead advances in the mission of their department or organization.