Zeng and Zhou Awarded Prestigious Presidential Fellowships
Xiangrui Zeng and Lifeng Zhou, graduate students in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (MAE), each received a 2015 Presidential Fellowship awarded by The Ohio State University Graduate School. The Presidential Fellowship is the most prestigious award given by the Graduate School, recognizing outstanding scholarly accomplishments and potential of graduate students entering the final phase of their dissertation research or terminal degree project.
Zeng’s research focuses on optimally-personalized vehicle powertrain-aftertreatment system control, specifically on driving behavior and styles in system control strategy optimization adaptive to human drivers. “Zeng has made significant contributions to this groundbreaking research topic,” said Associate Professor Junmin Wang, Zeng’s advisor. “He theoretically designed and validated several novel hybrid electric powertrain-aftertreatment system optimal control methods, instrumental for reducing the vehicle energy consumptions and emissions of conventional and hybrid electric vehicles during their real-world operations.”
Before joining the Vehicle Systems and Control Laboratory (VSCL) directed by Associate Professor Wang, Zeng received a BEng degree in Vehicle Engineering and an MS degree in Power Engineering and Engineering Thermophysics from Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.
“It is a great honor to receive the Presidential Fellowship,” Zeng said. “I hope that my research, supported by the fellowship, can help to lower the energy consumption and tailpipe emissions for vehicles running in real-world scenarios in the future.”
Lifeng Zhou received BS and MS degrees in mechanical engineering from Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications before joining the Design Innovation and Simulation Lab (DISL) directed by Associate Professor Haijun Su, and the Nanoengineering and Biodesign Lab (NBL) directed by Assistant Professor Carlos E. Castro. Su is Zhou’s main advisor and Castro is co-advisor.
DNA origami is a recently emerging technology that allows the construction of complex nanostructures via molecular self-assembly. Zhou’s research specifically focuses on expanding the design of DNA origami mechanisms by introducing the macroscopic compliant mechanism concepts into the DNA origami design.
"Lifeng's research is at the intersection of traditional kinematics field and the cutting edge DNA nanotechnology,” said Su. “He is pioneering in applying the principle and design approaches from macroscopic compliant mechanisms to build nanoscale machines and robots made of DNA materials.”
"Lifeng's work has played a key role in establishing our research team as a leader in the design of dynamic DNA nano machines. Our inter-disciplinary approach has received great interest from both the DNA nanotechnology and kinematic and mechanism design communities," co-advisor Castro commented.
Zhou is also honored to receive the Presidential Fellowship. “The fellowship will help me finish my dissertation with significant outcomes and also encourage my interest in future research of DNA nanotechnology,” he said.
“We are very pleased with this distinct recognition of Xiangrui and Lifeng for their research achievements,” said Ahmet Selamet, MAE Department Chair.
About the Presidential Fellowship
The Graduate School awards about 15 Presidential Fellowships each semester for outstanding academic achievement. The fellowship provides financial support so that each Presidential Fellow may devote one year of full-time study to the completion of his or her dissertation or degree project unimpeded by other duties. Competitions are held autumn and spring semesters.
