Month: April 2023

Improved Methods for Generating Convex and Concave Relaxations of Composite Bilinear Forms

Four 3D surface plots comparing a smooth surface (brown/orange) with an overlaid cyan mesh, shown from different viewing angles with x, y, and z axes.Professor Matthew Stuber, PhD and Dr. Matthew Wilhelm’s most recent publication presents new and improved methods for generating convex and concave relaxations of composite bilinear forms. They establish the theoretical framework to generate tighter McCormick-based relaxations in reduced space when intermediate bilinear terms have known convex or concave relaxations. These developments translate into significant speedups when solving deterministic global optimization problems involving these ubiquitous mathematical terms.

Read the full publication on the Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications.

Dr. Cato Laurencin Receives Priestley Medal

Cover of Chemical & Engineering News magazine featuring Cato T. Laurencin, identified as the 2023 Priestley Medalist, wearing a blue suit and red bow tie.
The CBE Department would like to congratulate Professor Cato T. Laurencin on receiving the Priestley Medal, the highest honor in Chemistry after the Nobel Prize. This award recognizes his pioneering work in the fields of polymer science, biomaterials, and regenerative engineering, which has transformed the landscape of modern medicine. Professor Laurencin is an inspiration to many, and his contributions to science will have a lasting impact on generations to come. To read Dr. Laurencin's speech in Chemical & Engineering News, please click here.

CBE Faculty Among Team of Faculty Establishing SoilTech Project

A framed logo showing a hand holding soil with a green sprout above it, alongside the text “SoilTech.”A new center composed of interdisciplinary researchers, including our faculty members Yu Lei and Matthew Stuber, has been established to address the industry’s need for reliable soil sensors. The center will focus on developing innovative solutions for measuring soil properties using hydrogels, and it is sponsored by the National Science Foundation’s Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRC) Program. This research will support the development of precision agriculture, an approach that focuses on applying fertilizers or pesticides only in the areas needed, decreasing the accumulation of dangerous chemicals, promoting plant health, and helping farmers save money.

Read more about the center on UConn Today.

SPE Honors CBE Emeritus Professor Montgomery Shaw

A magazine-style page announcing a symposium honoring Montgomery Shaw, featuring a photo of two people smiling at a formal event, with one holding a certificate.Honoring the work of our Emeritus Professor, Dr. Montgomery Shaw, the SPE Applied Rheology Division recently hosted the full-day Shaw Symposium for Polymer Processing, Rheology, and Characterization. The event brought together renowned colleagues who presented their work in rheology and polymer processing at a special symposium, celebrating Dr. Shaw’s many contributions to the field. As a pioneer in rheology, Dr. Shaw is an influential researcher whose work helped shape the field of polymer processing.

Read more on this honor in the latest issue of Plastics Engineering magazine.