UNT Engineering will receive $750,000 from the Office of Naval Research over the next three years to fund educational and research initiatives in materials, manufacturing and electronics. 

This initiative will focus on highlighting the benefits of miniaturized systems, such as sensors and actuators, that are at the heart of micro-electro-mechanical systems and nanotechnology, particularly for radio frequency applications. Additive manufacturing along with microfabrication technology will be used to create flexible, light-weight sensors using nanomaterials, where some of these structures will also be used to transmit and receive radio frequency signals.

Students involved in this program will have the opportunity to learn more about Naval STEM careers and develop interdisciplinary skills to help fulfill a tremendous national need for highly trained engineers and scientists in the Navy. 

Anupama Kaul, the PACCAR endowed professor of engineering, is the principal investigator of the grant and works in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and Department of Electrical Engineering. She also serves as director of the PACCAR Technology Institute and is founder of the Nanoscale Materials and Devices Laboratory at UNT. Ifana Mahbub, an assistant professor in electrical engineering, is a co-principal investigator on the grant and is director of the Integrated Biomedical Circuits and Systems Laboratory. The other team members from UNT include Angus McColl, senior director of development, and Kathryn Beasley, assistant director of recruitment and admissions in the College of Engineering. 

“Under this grant, we will collaborate with our partners at NAVAIR, the Naval Research Labs and other Naval facilities, along with other faculty affiliated with UNT’s PACCAR Technology Institute,” said Kaul. “Together, we intend to provide an integrated education, training and research experience for undergraduate and graduate students including outreach initiatives to North Texas middle and high school students in STEM.”