Speaker: Dr. Patrick Johnson, Professor and Head, Chemical and Biomedical Engineering, University of Wyoming
Abstract: Many technological advances depend on next-generation materials, such as graphene, which enables better sensors and electronics, to name but a few. Manufacturing such materials is often difficult, in particular, producing graphene at scale is an open problem. We apply state-of-the-art machine learning to optimize the product
ion of laser-induced graphene devices, an established manufacturing method that has shown great promise. We demonstrate improvements over previous results in terms of the quality of the produced graphene from a variety of different pre-cursor materials. We use Bayesian model-based optimization to quickly improve outcomes based on little initial data and show the robustness of our approach to different experimental conditions, tackling a small-data problem in contrast to the more common big-data applications of machine learning. We analyze the learned surrogate models with respect to the quality of their predictions and learned relationships that may be of interest to domain experts and improve our understanding of the processes governing laser-induced graphene production. Finally, we relate the utility and development of these sensors in biomedical applications.
Bio: Dr. Patrick Johnson joined the University of Wyoming in 2006 and has a research program that has focused on new materials and biointerfaces. Research topics have included advanced carbon materials, surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) biosensors, and immobilized enzyme systems. In conjunction with colleagues in Computer Science and Mechanical Engineering, he established the Artificially Intelligent Manufacturing Center (AIM). The center merges synergistic expertise in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences in materials development, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and computer science for the development of powerful methods to design and model the behavior of advanced materials and manufacture advanced devices. Patrick also leads the interdisciplinary Materials Science and Engineering Program and was recently appointed Department Head of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering.
Patrick received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Lehigh University in 1992 and his Master’s in Biomedical Engineering from the University of Virginia in 1994. He then worked on projects for environmental remediation in Belarus followed by work on sensors for detection of biological and chemical weapons. He then received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Columbia University in 2005. He was awarded an NIH Fellowship in Tissue Engineering and Biomedical Sciences under the mentorship of Prabhas Moghe and Joachim Kohn at Rutgers University.
Webinar link: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/94338667053?pwd=bGNRTUppN3o4U25jMVRhR3Z0MVJsdz09