Rossin Connection: Lehigh University Engineering

Healthcare is one of the world's most complex systems—and one of the most important to get right. In this episode, assistant professor of industrial and systems engineering Karmel Shehadeh explains how optimization, mathematics, and data-driven decision making can help hospitals operate more efficiently, improve patient access, and create more equitable healthcare systems.

Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the largest and most powerful space observatory ever built. After a successful launch on Christmas Day 2021, Webb is helping scientists look more than 13 billion years back in time, and answer questions like: Where do we come from? Are we alone? Webb took 20 years, thousands of technicians, scientists, and engineers, and 40 million hours to build. One of those engineers is Lehigh alum Scott Willoughby ’89, vice president and program manager of the James Webb Space Telescope Program at Northrop Grumman. In this episode, he explains how engineers solved one seemingly impossible problem after another to build a telescope capable of seeing the first stars, studying distant planets and transforming our understanding of the universe. He also reveals how we’re already benefiting from Webb’s development, right here on Earth.

Guest bio:

Scott Willoughby, '89, is vice president and program manager for the James Webb Space Telescope Program at Northrop Grumman, NASA's primary industrial partner for the mission. A graduate of Lehigh University's electrical engineering program, Scott has spent more than three decades developing complex space systems and led one of the largest and most ambitious engineering programs in modern history. Under his leadership, the James Webb Space Telescope successfully launched, deployed and began a mission that is transforming our understanding of the universe.

Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

Environmental engineer Sibel Pamukcu has spent more than 30 years developing innovative ways to clean contaminated soil and groundwater while helping pave the way for future generations of women engineers. In this episode, the internationally recognized researcher and Lehigh's first woman faculty member in Civil Engineering discusses her pioneering work in electrokinetic remediation, the challenges of breaking barriers in academia, and why creating new knowledge still inspires her every day.

Guest bio:

Sibel Pamukcu is a professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Lehigh University and an internationally recognized expert in electrokinetic remediation of soils and groundwater. Her research spans geotechnical and environmental engineering and has resulted in numerous patents, more than 60 research grants and more than 150 journal articles and technical publications. She was also the first woman faculty member in Lehigh's Civil Engineering Department and has played an important role in advancing opportunities for women in STEM.

Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

When Hannah Dailey says she feels like she's been at Lehigh her whole life, she means it. She did her undergrad in mechanical engineering here, came back for her master's and PhD, and today she’s an associate professor specializing in medical devices. In this episode, she explains why mechanical engineering isn't just about engines, robots and airplanes—the field also plays a vital role in medicine. She reflects on her journey from "terrified" transfer student to entrepreneur helping surgeons improve patient care, why expanding opportunities for women in engineering will lead to better ideas, better technologies and a stronger profession, and the one thing she thinks everyone needs to hear.

Guest bio:

Hannah Dailey is an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics at Lehigh University whose research focuses on orthopedic biomechanics, bone fracture healing and medical device innovation. A Lehigh engineering alum, she previously worked at the Naval Surface Warfare Center, co-founded the orthopedic startup OrthoXeL in Ireland and continues to develop technologies that help surgeons better evaluate and improve fracture healing. Her work combines mechanical engineering, medical imaging, computer simulation and orthopedic research to improve patient care while advancing the science of bone repair.

Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean’s office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

What do coffee makers, cosmetics, paint, cereal, and pharmaceuticals have in common? They're all examples of chemical engineering in action. In this episode, chemical and biomolecular engineering professor James Gilchrist explains how his innovative Coffee and Cosmetics: Engineering of Consumer Products course–designed by students, for students–uses everyday consumer products to reveal the principles behind chemical engineering. He shares the origin story behind the class, and explains what it was like when, for the first time in his teaching career, he wasn’t the expert in the room.

Guest bio:

James Gilchrist is a professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Lehigh University and director of the Laboratory for Particle Mixing and Self-Organization. His research focuses on particle technology, complex fluids, coatings, rheology and advanced materials, exploring how microscopic particles influence the behavior of products ranging from pharmaceuticals and paints to consumer goods. Together with his students, he created Coffee and Cosmetics: Engineering of Consumer Products, an interdisciplinary course that uses everyday products to introduce students to chemical engineering. 

Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

From regenerative medicine and tissue engineering to artificial intelligence and healthcare data, bioengineering is rapidly reshaping modern medicine. In this episode, professor and chair of the Department of Bioengineering Anand Ramamurthi explains how engineers are developing new ways to repair damaged tissues, deliver drugs more effectively, and build the next generation of healthcare technologies while sharing his vision for the future of bioengineering education and research. 

Guest bio:

Anand Ramamurthi is professor and chair of the Department of Bioengineering at Lehigh University. His research focuses on regenerative medicine, cardiovascular tissue engineering, biomaterials, and nanomedicine, with an emphasis on developing minimally invasive therapies for vascular disease. His work combines engineering, biology, and medicine to design targeted drug delivery systems, regenerative biomaterials, and next-generation biomedical technologies that improve patient care.

Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

Growing up, Matt Bilsky loved building things. Today, the Lehigh mechanical engineering alum is the founder and CEO of FLX Solutions, where he develops snake-like robots designed to inspect, repair, and navigate places people can't easily reach. Matt discusses robotics, mechatronics, engineering entrepreneurship, and how curiosity, self-directed learning, and a maker mindset helped turn a K’NEX kid into a problem-solving CEO. 

Guest bio:

Matt Bilsky ’12 ’14G ’17PhD, is founder and CEO of FLX Solutions, a robotics company developing flexible snake-like robots for industrial inspection, maintenance, and infrastructure applications. A Lehigh alum with an undergraduate, master’s, and PhD from Lehigh’s Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics, he combines expertise in robotics, mechatronics, rapid prototyping, and engineering entrepreneurship to create technologies that make difficult and dangerous work safer and more accessible. 

Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

Osteoarthritis occurs when the protective cartilage that cushions the ends of your bones wears down over time. It’s the most common form of arthritis, and it affects more than 31 million Americans. In this episode, bioengineering associate professor Lesley Chow explains why cartilage injuries often lead to chronic pain and joint replacement, and how her lab is using biomaterials, tissue engineering, and 3D printing to encourage the body to regenerate healthy cartilage before permanent damage occurs.

Guest bio:

Lesley Chow is an associate professor in the Department of Bioengineering and the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Lehigh University. Her research combines tissue engineering, biomaterials, regenerative medicine and 3D printing to develop new approaches for repairing cartilage and bone, with the long-term goal of preventing osteoarthritis and reducing the need for joint replacement surgery.

Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean’s office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

 Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

What does it actually feel like to launch aboard a space shuttle, become weightless and repair a satellite hundreds of miles above Earth? In Part 2 of this conversation, former NASA astronaut Terry Hart '68, ‘’88H talks about training for his historic 1984 mission, why weightlessness was initially pretty awful, and about the one failure NASA didn’t anticipate. He also explains why he left the astronaut corps and his view on the future of space exploration.

Guest bio:

Terry Hart is a teaching full professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics at Lehigh University and a former NASA astronaut. A Lehigh mechanical engineering alum, he also earned graduate degrees from MIT and Rutgers University before beginning a distinguished career that included engineering at Bell Laboratories, service as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, and selection to NASA's Astronaut Group 8. In 1984, he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on STS-41C, helping complete the first successful repair of a satellite in orbit. He also operated the IMAX camera for the feature The Dream is Alive (1985). Today, Terry shares lessons from engineering, aviation, and human spaceflight with the next generation of engineers at Lehigh University.

Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Talk with us @RossinPodcast.

Before Terry Hart '68, '88H, ever flew in space, he was a curious kid who took apart appliances, became a mechanical engineer at Lehigh, worked at Bell Laboratories, flew fighter aircraft for the U.S. Air Force, and eventually beat nearly 8,000 applicants to become a NASA astronaut. In part one of a two-part interview, he talks about the event that initially captured his imagination about space, the edge engineering gave him as an Air Force pilot during the Vietnam War, the most fortuitous failure of his life, and why Sally Ride was his favorite copilot. 

Guest bio:

Terry Hart is a teaching full professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Mechanics at Lehigh University and a former NASA astronaut. A Lehigh mechanical engineering alum, he also earned graduate degrees from MIT and Rutgers University before beginning a distinguished career that included engineering at Bell Laboratories, service as a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, and selection to NASA's Astronaut Group 8. In 1984, he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger on STS-41C, helping complete the first successful repair of a satellite in orbit. He also operated the IMAX camera for the feature The Dream is Alive (1985). Today, Terry shares lessons from engineering, aviation, and human spaceflight with the next generation of engineers at Lehigh University.

Rossin Connection is hosted and produced by Christine Fennessy, with support from the Dean's office at the P.C. Rossin College of Engineering and Applied Science.

Talk with us @RossinPodcast.