HiPerSimLab High Performance Simulation Laboratory for Energy & Environment

www.hipersimlab.org

Directed by Inanc Senocak, the research vision is to contribute toward the creation of a sustainable energy economy by providing innovative computational solutions to engineering problems that arise at the intersection of energy and environment. We work toward this vision by developing high performance computing solutions that transcend traditional disciplines. In our research, we integrate fundamentals of thermal and fluid sciences with computational mathematics and supercomputing. We routinely use parallel rendering and data analysis tools to elucidate the fundamental processes underlying the physical problem and improve our computational models.

Rory Cooper, PhD

Phone: 412-383-6590
Email:rcooper@pitt.edu

The Human Engineering Research Laboratories (HERL) is a joint effort between the University of Pittsburgh, the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System, and UPMC Health System. HERL occupies approximately 40,000 square feet of laboratory and office space in the Bakery Square office and research complex in Pittsburgh's East End. Under the direction of Rory Cooper, PhD, HERL's Founder and Director, and Michael Boninger, MD, HERL's Medical Director and Director of the University of Pittsburgh's Model Center on Spinal Cord Injury (UPCM-SCI), HERL is dedicated to wheelchair and mobility research, specifically by improving the mobility and function of people with disabilities through advanced engineering in clinical research and medical rehabilitation. The laboratory, which was designated as a VA Center of Excellence for Wheelchair and Associated Rehabilitation Engineering (WARE), also studies such topics as athletics in rehabilitation, assistive housing and living spaces, the efficiency and effect of wheelchair transfers, clinician training, and force and vibration on a wheelchair user's "ride comfort." Besides its general research and office space, HERL houses a wheelchair-testing laboratory, a fully equipped machine shop, an ultrasound laboratory, and a robotics laboratory. HERL is partners with the Quality of Life Technology Center, funded by the National Science Foundation, and hosts various educational programs such as the Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU), Experiential Learning for Veterans in Assistive Technology and Engineering (ELeVATE), and the Fabrication of Assistive Technology (FATe) Program for Wounded Warriors.

Joel Haight, PhD, PE

Phone: 412-624-9839
Email:jhaight@pitt.edu

The Human Factors Engineering (HFE) Laboratory is a team-based teaching and research laboratory for undergraduate and graduate students. The laboratory focuses on cognitive, ergonomic, and environmental aspects of human factors, and their influence on productivity and quality. The lab has a wide array of hardware and software to include Ergomaster for conducting ergonomic studies, Quest Canary Vapor Cloud Dispersion software for teaching energy isolation, as well as the University of Michigan 3 D strength prediction and energy expenditure prediction software, Minitab, SPSS and NVivo7 for data analysis.