Pitt-Bradford faculty present research from Erie to India

Faculty at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford were busy during the fall semester publishing and presenting research at conferences in the areas of criminal justice, engineering, chemistry and biology.

Dr. Behnaz (Beth) Rezaie, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology, was a keynote speaker at the 4th International Conference on Modeling, Simulation and Optimization at the National Institute of Technology Silchar in India. The title of her talk was “Modeling District Cooling System for Enhancing Sustainability.

Dr. Obinna Ezeihuoma, assistant professor of criminal justice, recently published a chapter, “Non-Custodial Services in the Administration of Justice in Nigeria: Current Developments,” in the book “Criminology in Nigeria: History, Evolution, and Trends.” Additionally, he contributed a chapter titled "Other Critical Security Issues and Domestic Terrorism Dynamics" to the book “Homeland Security and Terrorism in Nigeria: Crisis, Climate Change, and Counterterrorism.” 

Ezeihuoma also published in the Sage journal The International Journal of Aging and Human Development. His article, “Roles of Loneliness, Stress, and Religiosity in Suicide Ideation among Nigerian Older Adults,” examines critical factors that influence mental health in aging populations.

Finally, he took part in the American Society of Criminology conference in San Francisco where he presented alongside colleagues on “Developing a Green Criminology Curriculum for Criminal Justice Programs” and served as the moderator for the session on “Kidnapping for Ransom in Nigeria: A Critical Aspect of Terrorist Financing.”

Dr. Hirushie Karunathilake, assistant professor of engineering, published a chapter, “Role of Hydrogen in the Current World Energy Consumption and Future Trends” in a new book, “Hydrogen Production from Nonrenewable Resources” published by Taylor and Francis.

In the chapter, she and her co-authors explain that hydrogen, a colorless, odorless and non-toxic gas, can be used in fuel cells for storing energy or power plants to generate electricity, power and heat.

Last semester, chemistry and biology faculty and some their students attended and presented their research at the American Chemical Society Central Regional Meeting held in Pittsburgh. In addition to supporting students as they presented research that they conducted with faculty members, the professors presented themselves.

Dr. Ryan Myers, assistant professors of chemistry, made an oral presentation on work he conducted with faculty from other universities. Their work helped explain how pH changed the behavior of large molecules in solution, which can be important in material science, biology and chemistry.

Dr. Oluwabunmi Femi-Oloye, assistant professor of biology, and Dr. Femi F. Oloye, assistant professor of chemistry, made an oral presentation about studies they conducted with a colleague from the University of Saskatchewan Western College of Veterinary Medicine. They examined the safety of a chemical called mefenpyr-deithyl (MEF) used to protect crops from herbicides designed to kill weeds.

Researchers evaluated the safety of MEF on tiny aquatic crustaceans known as water fleas. They found that even small amounts started to kill the water fleas, and higher amounts killed all of them. Long-term tests showed that MEF negatively affected the water fleas’ reproduction and harmed growth, raising concern about its environmental impacts, particularly if it accumulates in the food chain.

Additionally, Femi-Oloye and Oloye presented the research at the 20th Annual Research Symposium of the Regional Science Consortium at Presque Isle held at the Tom Ridge Environmental Center in Erie in November. The symposium was a key gathering for researchers focused on environmental sustainability and the protection of ecosystems.

At the same symposium, Oloye presented promising findings on the evaluation of non-edible seed oils of economic importance. The research, conducted in collaboration with a scientist from Adekunle Ajasin University, Nigeria, focuses on finding plants with potential applications in biofuels and other industries.

The study focused on oils extracted from sandbox tree, yellow oleander and snake gourd. Using a common extraction method, the team analyzed the oils' properties, including their suitability as biofuels and their ability to fight bacteria and fungi. Oloye is currently collaborating with undergraduate students at Pitt-Bradford to replicate the research by exploring Pennsylvania’s native plants for developing sustainable biofuels and natural health products.

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