Lehigh announced the launch of two new research centers on campus, the Center for Community-Driven Assistive Technologies (CDAT) and the Center for Advancing Community Electrification Solutions (ACES), earlier this month as part of its strategic plan.
Both centers will implement interdisciplinary and student research to foster change within the university and local communities.
CDAT will focus on developing assistive technologies to improve accessibility for people with disabilities, while ACES will work to expand electrification efforts in transportation, water and buildings, according to a Lehigh News article published on Feb. 4.
George DuPaul, a professor of school psychology in the College of Education, will lead CDAT alongside Vinod Namboodiri, a professor of computer science and engineering and the Forlenza Chair of Health Innovation and Technology.
DuPaul said the assistive technologies developed through the center will help individuals with disabilities complete tasks they might otherwise have difficulty accomplishing.
He also said the center aims to improve accessibility on campus and in the Bethlehem Area School District.
The center will also join forces with healthcare partners, including Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Hospital, Lehigh Valley Health Network and St. Luke’s Hospital, to leverage research and solutions, he said.
DuPaul also said the CDAT team is interested in assisting senior citizens by examining how assistive technologies can help them.
The primary focus of CDAT is facilitating life transitions, which can often prove difficult for people with disabilities, depending on the nature of their disability, he said.
“Lehigh has support services in place, but we want to engage in research where we can look at how assistive technologies can support students with disabilities making the transition to college and helping them stay in college,” he said.
Though the center was launched just this month, he said it has already begun exploring artificial intelligence, telepresence, robotics, smartphones and mobile apps, among other technologies.
DuPaul said while Lehigh’s terrain is challenging and largely inaccessible for people with physical disabilities, it provides the team with an opportunity to test mobility.
Members of CDAT hope to enhance conditions for people with disabilities at Lehigh and in surrounding communities with the help of graduate and undergraduate students, he said.
Similarly, ACES aims to impact a broader residential community and will be led by Shalinee Kishore, a professor of electrical and computer engineering, and Arindam Banerjee, the department chair of mechanical engineering and mechanics.
Kishore said the center plans to develop coordinated technology and policy solutions to promote and grow electrification across three energy use sectors: transportation, water and buildings, as well as the power grid which will power the energy needs of these sectors.
Electrification is the process of converting energy-consuming technologies and systems that rely on non-electric energy resources to electricity, she said.
Kishore also said the center is interested in expanding the process of electrification efforts in local areas, including the Lehigh Valley, as well as coastal communities which often have higher energy and water costs.
The new center will help Lehigh researchers explore and address real-world issues that impact electrification in real communities, she said.
Kishore emphasized the importance of engineering students learning about the connections between their technology solutions and energy policy, and more policy-focused students gaining technical knowledge of energy systems.
“This will create an interdisciplinary workforce that’s ready to go out and tackle the bigger questions in the energy sector in the years ahead,” she said.
Kevin Wyckoff, ‘20, ‘21G, a current doctoral student, works with Kishore at ACES. He said the research conducted by ACES is a team effort, as work is allocated to both graduate and undergraduate students, and faculty members.
“It’s not just me working on my own thing,” he said. “There are so many people putting in the work.”
Wyckoff said his research includes examining the modeling of renewable energy systems, including wind, wave and tidal power. He also works on desalination, the process of removing salt from water to make it potable.
He is personally focused on promoting electrification processes in remote communities that are difficult to reach and have high energizing costs. He said in these places, the cost of energy technologies is so high that wind and tidal power are attractive options.
DuPaul encouraged students from different backgrounds and colleges to participate in research and assist the centers in carrying out their missions.
“A major objective of these research centers is to bring faculty and students from different disciplines together to integrate their knowledge and work towards a common goal,” he said.
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