Events from the AJ Clark School of Engineering http://eng.umd.edu/events/ Wed, 22 Jul 2026 14:47:11 EDT http://eng.umd.edu/images/clark_logo_4email.gif http://eng.umd.edu/events/ Friday, October 02, 2026 6:00 AM, Kay Boardroom - Jeong H. Kim Engineering Building, NanoColloquium 38 Prof. Dr. Kornelius Nielsch Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden, GermanyInstitute of Material Science and Institute of Applied Physics, Technical University of Dresden, Germany Material Interfaces taking Control of Thermoelectric Transport The presentation will start with a general introduction on the basic thermoelectric transport effect, explain thermoelectric materials in general, and how these can be used in thermoelectric devices and introduce a few thermoelectric applications. For the core part of this presentation, I will discuss the impact of material interfaces on the thermoelectric transport in general and select three examples, which can let to tailored thermoelectric materials by interface engineering. Enhancing the thermal stability and suppression of material diffusion in ZnSb compounds by coating the grains of ZnSb with the technique of atomic layer deposition, which allows the conformal coating of nano- and micro-sized powers on the atomic scale and a subsequent compaction.Thermoelectric multilayer systems are ideal to study separately the impact of the reduced dimension of thin films on the electronic and phononic transport. We have used atomic layer deposition to grow multilayers of Sb2Te3 and SbOx and studied in detail the significant impact of the interfaces on the phonon scattering.Several prominent thermoelectric materials like Sb2Te3, Bi2Se3 and Bi2Te3 are topological insulators. When these materials are single crystals, the bulk/volume of the crystals is behaving like ordinary highly doped semiconductor, whereas the surface behaves like graphene with highly mobile charge charrier. We will demonstrate that in nanosized materials the topological effects are enhanced and can significantly dominate the thermoelectric transport in these materials.In summary, the presentation will bridge the areas of solid states physics, solid state chemistry and material engineering and I will give an outlook on the engineering of material interfaces for future thermoelectric applications. Kornelius Nielsch has been director of the Institute for Metallic Materials (IMW) at the Leibniz Institute for Solid State and Materials Research Dresden (IFW) since 2015, where he leads a research group working on sustainable thermoelectric materials and device for thermoelectric cooling.  Prof. Nielsch received his diploma in physics from the University of Duisburg in 1997 and his Ph.D. in physics from Martin Luther University Halle/Wittenberg, Germany, in 2002. From 2002 to 2003, Kornelius Nielsch was a postdoctoral fellow at MIT before taking up the position of group leader at the Max Planck Institute for Microstructure Physics in Halle, Germany, in 2003. Soon after, he moved to the Institute of Applied Physics at the University of Hamburg, where he was Professor of Experimental Physics from 2007 to 2015. From 2009 until 2015 he has coordinated the Priority Program on Nanostructured Thermoelectrics and is now coordinating the Marie Curie Doctoral Network on Mg-based alloys for thermoelectric cooling together with 15 partner institutions from Europe. http://www.mse.umd.edu/events/index.php?mode=4&id=20726 http://www.mse.umd.edu/events/index.php?mode=4&id=20726 Monday, August 31, 2026 2:30 PM, J. M. Patterson Building (JMP) 2217, Applications of AI in Reliability: Prognostics and Systems Health Management (Fall 2026 Graduate Course) Prof. Michael G. Pecht301-405-5323pecht@umd.edu Dr. Michael H. Azarian301-405-7555mazarian@umd.edu Prof. Jay Lee301-405-5255leejay@umd.edu Class Timings: Mondays, 9:30 AM to 12:10 PM US Eastern Time at J. M. Patterson Building (JMP) 2217 Find the Syllabus Here Read more about the course here. Prognostics and health management (PHM) is an enabling discipline consisting of technologies and methods to assess the reliability of a product in its actual life cycle conditions to determine the advent of failure and mitigate system risk. In recent years, PHM has emerged as a key technology that provides an early warning of failure, forecasts maintenance, and assesses the potential for life extensions. In the future, PHM will equip systems with the capability to assess their own real-time performance (self-cognizant health management and diagnostics) under actual usage conditions and adaptively enhance life cycle sustainment with risk-mitigation actions that virtually eliminate unplanned failures.  The application areas of PHM include aerospace structures and avionics, automobiles, civil structures, consumer and industrial products, defense infrastructure and medical equipment, and machine tools. This is an interdisciplinary course, and students in many areas, including aerospace, civil, electrical, and mechanical engineering, and engineering management, are welcome. Students will get the opportunity to learn the basic scientific foundations that enable PHM and work on its implementation for real-life applications through projects. Experts from industry, government, and academia will teach guest lectures in this course. Some of the topics covered in this course include: Fundamentals of Prognostics and Health Management (PHM). Internet of Things, Big Data, and Sensors for PHM. Data Pre-processing (Data Cleansing, Feature Extraction, Feature Selection, Feature Learning). Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence for Anomaly Detection, Diagnostics, and Prognostics. PHM Cost and Return on Investment. Valuation and Optimization of PHM-enabled Maintenance Decisions. Software Tools for PHM. Predictive Maintenance. PHM Applications in Industry. For more information, contact Prof. Michael Pecht, Dr. Michael H. Azarian, and Prof. Jay Lee. http://www.mse.umd.edu/events/index.php?mode=4&id=20733 http://www.mse.umd.edu/events/index.php?mode=4&id=20733 Tuesday, October 13, 2026 6:00 AM, College Park Marriott Hotel & Conference Center, This isn’t just a conference; it’s a high-level convergence of industry stakeholders, policymakers, financiers, and tech trailblazers. We’re bringing together the forward thinkers who are keeping tabs on the changing energy landscape, leveraging groundbreaking solutions to optimize our grid, accelerating decarbonization, and driving Maryland’s economic evolution. What to Expect:  Tuesday, Oct. 13: Kick off the summit with our Opening Luncheon, followed by dedicated networking sessions designed to spark collaborative breakthroughs.  Wednesday, Oct. 14: Dive into expert panels on AI-driven efficiency, grid modernization, and the future of climate tech.  Register here http://www.mse.umd.edu/events/index.php?mode=4&id=20743 http://www.mse.umd.edu/events/index.php?mode=4&id=20743 Friday, August 14, 2026 1:00 PM, Online registration, The National Science Foundation (NSF) I-Corps program delivers an immersive learning experience about how to successfully translate innovations into real-world impact. LEARN what it takes to commercialize your innovation, along with the barriers to adoption and how to overcome them. DETERMINE the real-world impacts of your research or technology. EXPAND your network with introductions to potential mentors, customers, and investors. INCREASE the commercial potential of your innovation. SAVE years and money by accelerating your understanding of your product, customer, and market. ESTABLISH credibility and a path to the NSF’s national I-Corps program, which provides grants of $50,000 for I-Corps, and subsequent opportunities for SBIR grants and other funding. To participate in the August Mid-Atlantic I-Corps Customer Discovery Workshops, you must complete the short I-Corps Prep by Wednesday, August 8. You may not apply to the program until you have completed I-Corps Prep. You can enroll in I-Corps Prep at any time here at this link This Hub-wide cohort is hosted by the University of Maryland, College Park. Anyone from around the Hub and Hub partners is welcome to apply. http://www.mse.umd.edu/events/index.php?mode=4&id=20744 http://www.mse.umd.edu/events/index.php?mode=4&id=20744 Tuesday, July 28, 2026 6:00 PM, Online registration, Come learn how MIPS​ funds can help you accelerate your R&D! The Maryland Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) program offers grants for projects that team Maryland-based companies with University System of Maryland faculty to develop technology products and processes. This webinar will address how MIPS can help advance your technology-based products by leveraging the facilities, resources, and expertise within Maryland’s public universities to create new products and opportunities. Register here http://www.mse.umd.edu/events/index.php?mode=4&id=20745 http://www.mse.umd.edu/events/index.php?mode=4&id=20745