OU PI Academy program pairs promising faculty with prestigious scholars

OU PI Academy program pairs promising faculty with prestigious scholars
Bruce Logan
Bruce Logan, the Evan Pugh Professor in Engineering and the Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering at Penn State, is one of 30 prestigious scholars who will visit Oakland University this year as part of a new PI Academy mentoring program that pairs OU junior faculty with top professors from universities across the nation. (Photo courtesy Penn State)

Oakland University will welcome 30 prestigious scholars to campus this year as part of a new PI Academy mentoring program that pairs OU junior faculty with top professors from universities across the nation.

 

“The presence of these 30 eminent scholars and researchers on campus this year benefits our students and the wider intellectual community of the university,” said Dr. David Stone, chief research officer at Oakland University.

 

On Thursday, Feb. 1 and Friday, Feb. 2, the program will pair Jonathan Maisonneuve, Ph.D., an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, with Bruce Logan, the Evan Pugh Professor in Engineering and the Kappe Professor of Environmental Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Penn State.

 

“We’re delighted to have Bruce visiting our campus and working with Jon over the coming year,” Stone said. “Bringing this level of mentorship to our promising faculty will markedly enhance their research and careers.”

 

According to Penn State’s website, Logan serves as director of both the Engineering Energy and Environmental Institute and the Hydrogen Energy Center at Penn State. His research focuses on developing new, renewable energy technologies, such as microbial fuel cells and thermal batteries, for achieving an energy sustainable water infrastructure; wastewater treatment; and bioremediation.

 

Jonathan Maisonneuve

Dr. Jonathan Maisonneuve

In addition, Logan has authored many publications and received numerous awards and honors for his work and has been appointed visiting professor at several universities around the world. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering and a Fellow of the International Water Association and the Water Environment Foundation.

 

“Dr. Logan is on the cutting edge of electrochemical energy research and is pioneering a number of exciting new conversion processes,” said Maisonneuve, whose research interests include renewable energy systems, energy efficient greenhouse systems, photosynthetic solar cells, and salt gradient energy conversion.

 

“It’s really an honor to welcome such a great thinker to visit our group and the university,” Maisonneuve added.

 

In addition to his role as a mentor, Dr. Logan will also be presenting a special lecture — “Converting Salinity Gradient or Waste Heat Energy into Electricity” — from 10-11:30 a.m. on Friday. Feb. 2 on OU’s campus. The lecture is open to OU faculty, staff and students, as well as the general public.

 

More information about the event, as well as the PI Academy, will be available soon on the Research Office website at oakland.edu/research.

 

About the PI Academy for Research and Engagement

 

The PI Academy provides professional development in research and engagement to a cohort of 30 non-tenured, tenure-track faculty members from across campus. The program includes training sessions, workshops, and other activities intended to enhance their abilities as principal investigators. Academy participants are also matched with an external mentor to further develop their skill set and career network. The PI Academy offers a great opportunity for interdisciplinary connections to be made between faculty of all disciplines. The program helps attract, support, and retain productive and engaged faculty, and grows research at OU.