My Current & Past Projects
I am hiring a PhD student for my research projects.
Send you CV to me at zhan5444@purdue.edu.
Virtual Bioreactor Project
Internally-funded (Ongoing)
A mixed reality (MR) bioreactor offers significant benefits for biomanufacturing and environmental engineering students by providing a safe and accessible immersive platform for hands-on learning. It allows students to explore complex processes like fermentation without the high costs, safety risks, and time constraints of a physical lab. Within this virtual environment, students can explore bioreactor configuration and manipulate parameters, such as pH, temperature, and nutrient levels, to observe their direct impact on microbial growth or pollutant degradation. This enables them to develop critical problem-solving skills and a deeper understanding of concepts. Ultimately, this technology enhances their learning in a highly engaging and interactive way.​​​​​​​​​​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
Forming Ethical Engineers: Integrating Embodied Carbon Education to Foster Ethical Responsibility in Environmental and Social Sustainability
​
National Science Foundation, $213,925
Awarded: August 2025 (Ongoing)
This project will develop and test new ethics modules focused on embodied carbon in five engineering courses at Purdue University and West Virginia University. The goal is to determine how this curriculum, which is aligned with the Engineering for One Planet (EOP) framework, affects students' understanding of environmental and social responsibility.
Effective Strategies to Recruit Underserved Students to Baccalaureate Engineering Success and Transition Programs (Recruit-BEST)
​
National Science Foundation, $350,000
Awarded: August 2023 (Completed)
This project identified effective strategies for recruiting students from a wide range of background to Baccalaureate Engineering Student Success and Transition (BEST) programs to address the engineering workforce shortage in the United States. Based on the Diffusion of Innovations framework, this research was aimed to broaden engagement in engineering and contribute to a more robust engineering workforce.