May 24 2010
Dr. Chang-Hwan Choi, Mechanical Engineering Professor and Director of the Nano and Microfluidics Laboratory at Stevens Institute of Technology was recently featured in Nature Magazine.
As a recipient of the prestigious 2010 Young Investigator Program (YIP) Award by the Office of Naval Research (ONR), Dr. Choi's work in Nano-Engineering is dramatically enhancing the corrosion resistance capabilities of Naval Vessels while also highlighting his unique career path and demonstrating the innovative research of faculty within Stevens.
Nature Magazine's interview discusses Dr. Choi's early career as a lecturer in a Korean-government overseas volunteer program; his work with Kenneth Breuer at Brown University; five years at UCLA; and ultimately joining Stevens.
Once at Stevens he differentiated himself by applying his nano-engineered superhydrophobic structures to materials used in building ships and planes for the United States Navy. "These challenges prompted me to develop ideas for creating nanostructures on the much larger scale," said Dr. Choi.
Now, ONR's funding for a state-of-the-art thin film deposition system as part of "Defense University Research Instrumentation Program (DURIP)" is helping Dr. Choi and Stevens create a robust environment for R& D activities and pilot scale production that make these large scale objectives possible.
The path of Dr. Choi has been a focused series of steps in the pursuit of advancing his career as a mechanical engineer who specializes in nano-engineering. His recognition by the ONR is going a long way in promoting not only his own research but also highlighting the many unique initiatives being undertaken at Stevens. Dr. Choi's hope is that success stories such as his own can inspire young faculty from across the world to pursue their research goals and collaboration opportunities.
View the full article at http://www.nature.com/naturejobs/2010/100520/full/nj7296-385a.html
To learn more, please visit the Department of Mechanical Engineering http://www.stevens.edu/ses/me/