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A group of Case School of Engineering students are bringing power to isolated parts of Malawi in Africa. In Kasakula, a village just outside of the Kasungu National Park where Case Western Reserve University students brought power to park ranger living quarters in 2021, a Humanitarian Design Corps team is putting the finishing touches on a solar powered community charging station.

Growing up in Akron in the 1940s and ’50s, Frank Linsalata and his older brother, Ralph, likely didn’t give much thought to words like “interdisciplinary.” But at the school that would later become Case Western Reserve University, the two still developed the diverse skill sets that define the term—with Frank (CIT ‘63) studying mechanical engineering and Ralph (CIT ‘60) earning his degree in electrical engineering.

Whether strategizing how to tackle building renovations, helping facilitate biomedical research or performing music at venues across Cleveland, William “Bill” Marx was often known as a jack of all trades. Now, members of the Case Western Reserve University are remembering this multifaceted staff member after Marx died earlier this month. He was 68.

Of the many traits that unite members of the Case Western Reserve University community, one is perhaps the most inspiring: an innovative spirit.

“I have to tell my mom,” were the first thoughts that ran through Hector Gomez Jimenez’s head when he found out he was the recipient of the 2023 Graduate Degrees for Minorities in Engineering (GEM PhD) Fellowship from the National GEM Consortium. 

It started when her freshman biology class was required to do a research project and compete in the regional fair. With a competitive nature, Alexis E. Block was motivated to work hard, resulting in wins at the regional, state and international fairs.

In any setting, fires can lead to devastating disasters. But in space, fires pose completely different hurdles that scientists are working to understand. Among those on the case is Ankit Sharma, a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Case Western Reserve.

Before enrolling in engineering school, Yu Yin was a law student. After taking what she considers a “fortuitous” introductory course on electronic and information engineering, she pivoted and transferred her major to engineering in her second year of undergraduate school.

Hyoung Suk Suh had a dream to work at a place that could provide him with a dynamic and intellectual environment to push his research forward, spark new ideas and forge valuable collaborations—and that’s why he pursued a career as a professor.

From a young age, Jing Ma was fascinated with engineering, and more specifically—artificial intelligence (AI). Beyond the obvious advancements, Ma is particularly interested in the “principles of human cognition and the interplay between human thought processes and AI systems,” which inspires her research.

Growing up around coal mines, Abhinav Acharya was always “in awe” of the different types of engineers required to work together in order to resolve day-to-day operational issues. It was these moments that made him realize that to accomplish large, pressing projects, engineers had to do it in partnership with one another.

ThinkEnergy is an innovative, student-centric program focused on experiential learning. The program aims to enhance energy literacy among the next generation of executives, educators, politicians, and technology experts. Through this program, students will gain the tools they need to become leaders in whatever fields they choose to pursue. Meet the new cohort of fellows.

Prajakta Joshi, a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering, received the Visiting Researcher Award from the Parkinson’s Foundation.

Case Western Reserve University leads development of monitoring system to keep food shipments fresh, reduce waste and improve supply chain management

An early interest in engineering drew Tom Seitz (CIT ’70) to the campus of what is now Case Western Reserve University. Here, he began to learn the importance of collaboration, innovation and empowering teams to work together toward a common goal.