University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science | 2025 Dean's Report - Flipbook - Page 10
CO2 CONVERSION PROCESS HELPS INDUSTRY,
ADDRESSES CLIMATE
A national research team led by Jingjie Wu,
UC associate professor of chemical engineering,
has developed a more ef昀椀cient method for
converting carbon dioxide (CO2) into ethylene,
a key chemical in plastic production.
By employing a modi昀椀ed copper catalyst, the
team improved the electrochemical conversion
process, potentially enabling ethylene production using renewable energy sources instead of
fossil fuels. This advancement not only holds
promise as a sustainable approach to ethylene
manufacturing but also contributes to reducing
USING FUZZY LOGIC AI TO IMPACT HEALTH
F
or more than 15 years, Kelly Cohen has been a crucial part of the University of Cincinnati’s Department of
Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics. He serves as the Brian H. Rowe Endowed Chair and is a
renowned expert in unmanned aerial vehicles, intelligent systems, and artificial intelligence. A central theme of
atmospheric CO2 levels.
CONNECTING WATER AND ENERGY DATA TO
MITIGATE DISASTERS
Lilit Yeghiazarian, UC professor of environ-
Cohen’s work with AI is a commitment to making it safer and more trustworthy. For the past three decades, he has
mental engineering, is developing solutions
been developing fuzzy logic-based AI solutions that are explainable and responsible. Fuzzy logic takes advantage of
to improve the resilience of the U.S. power
the imprecision of real-world decision making that standard computing methods avoid. Additionally, fuzzy systems
infrastructure and to connect siloed data
present their conclusions and the process by which they got them in a linguistic way, understandable by humans.
across agencies. Her Water-Energy Nexus
Open Knowledge Network, funded by the
Cohen is implementing explainable AI in mammograms for early detection of coronary artery disease. Genexia, a
Cincinnati-based software development company, co-founded by Cohen, will use explainable AI models to identify
breast density and diagnose risk for cardiovascular disease, which can significantly impact women’s health. The startup
is backed by UC’s Venture Lab, a resource that is dedicated to helping UC students and staff launch their businesses.
National Science Foundation, seeks to address
threats to water and energy infrastructure,
昀椀nd ways to increase its resilience to natural
disaster to ensure adequate supply and
demand of water and power, and to identify
the gaps in water and energy policies, rules
Cohen is also involved in a NASA grant-funded project that is developing a testing environment that helps evaluate
the safety and stability of AI models used in autonomous drones. Using 3D simulations, the project tests the
decision-making routines needed for real-time autonomous navigations. These simulations will put the AI systems
to the test in emergency situations like storms that drones must be prepared for.
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and regulations.
