•  Utkarsh Andharikar presented the paper titled " Fault Severity Estimation in Cracked Shafts by Integration of Phase Space Topology and Convolutional Neural network" co-authored by Amirhassan Abbasi, Prashant. N. Kambali and C. Nataraj at 15th Annual Conference of the Prognostics and Health Management Society on 1st November 2023 at Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

  Fault Severity Estimation in Cracked Shafts by Integration of Phase Space Topology and Convolutional Neural network

•  Zihan Liu presented the paper titled " Diagnostic Signal Method for Fault Identification of Electro-Hydraulic Servo Actuators" co-authored by Prashant. N. Kambali and C. Nataraj at 15th Annual Conference of the Prognostics and Health Management Society on 2nd November 2023 at Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.

  Diagnostic Signal Method for Fault Identification of Electro-Hydraulic Servo Actuators

•  Dieter Bender presented the paper titled ‘Photoplethysmogram Signal Characteristics as a Non-Invasive Surrogate of Diastolic Blood Pressure During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation’ on 10th November in Philadelphia during the organization’s international symposium and received Early Carrer Investigator Award from American Hear Association.

  Photoplethysmogram Signal Characteristics as a Non-Invasive Surrogate of Diastolic Blood Pressure During Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation

•  Paper titled “On extraction, ranking and selection of data-driven and physics-informed features for bearing fault diagnostics” published in Knowledge-Based Systems. Authored by T. Mohamad, A. Abbasi, K. Kappaganthu, C. Nataraj.

  On extraction, ranking and selection of data-driven and physics-informed features for bearing fault diagnostics

•  US Patent titled “Mechanical Ventilator Apparatuses And Methods Thereof” issued to Villanova University. Inventors: C. Nataraj, Garrett Clayton, Alfonso Ortega, Chris Townend.
•  Received a grant for our project titled “A computational model for ACL injuries in female soccer players” from CoE. Investigators: C. Nataraj, Garrett Clayton, Samar Azem, Ty Bigelow and Dieter Bender. 9/1/2023-8/31/2024, $25,000.
•  Nodycast episodes 5 and 6 are now live! Subject is “Nonlinear Developments in Mechanics”.

  Nonlinear Developments in Mechanics

•  Paper titled “CPR quality assessment using photoplethysmogram signal” accepted for American Heart Association’s Resuscitation Science Symposium 2023, to be held in Philadelphia in November.

  CPR quality assessment using photoplethysmogram signal

•  2023 edition of “Vibration: Theory and Practice”, Dr. Nataraj’s undergraduate textbook published by Lulu press.

  Vibration: Theory and Practice

•  Paper titled “One-Class Support Vector Machines For Real-Time And Unsupervised Condition Monitoring Of Rotary Machines” accepted at COBEM 2023, Brazil. Authors: Alexandre Tavares, …, A. Abbasi, C. Nataraj.
•  Paper titled “Numerical Analysis Of Rotordynamic Systems Using Harmonic Balance Method” accepted at COBEM 2023, Brazil. Authors: Barbara Cunha, …, P. N. Kambali, C. Nataraj.
•  Submitted paper titled “The Association of End-tidal Carbon Dioxide During Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation with Survival Outcomes” to Circulation. Co-authored by Dieter Bender and C. Nataraj from VCADS along with research faculty from CHOP.

• Amirhassan Abbasi, graduating PhD student from VCADS, started work at Ford Motor Company as a Machine Learning Engineer in their electrical vehicle division. Congratulations Amir!

• Sadra Hemmati, current PhD student at VCADS, started work at Boeing Company in Seattle as a Systems Modeling Engineer and will continue his PhD part-time. Congratulations Sadra!

• Dr. Nataraj delivered a talk titled "Fault diagnostics and prognostics of dynamic systems," Distinguished Global Seminar, Control Technology Council, Ford Motor Company. Attended live by over 250 engineers.

• A team of Drs. Chenfeng Xiong, C. Nataraj and Arash Tavakoli was awarded “Dean’s Fellowship for 1st year PhD student” to work on a project innovating advanced analytics for transportation systems modeling.

•  Published a paper titled “Hybrid modeling of a multidimensional coupled nonlinear system with integration of Hamiltonian mechanics,” in Nonlinear Dynamics. Authored by A. Abbasi, P. N. Kambali, C. Nataraj.

  Hybrid modeling of a multidimensional coupled nonlinear system with integration of Hamiltonian mechanics

•  Zihan Liu presented a paper titled “Uncertainty Quantification in Parameter Estimation using Physics-Integrated Machine Learning” at NODYCON 2023. Authors: Z. Liu, A. Abbasi, P. N. Kambali, C. Nataraj.
•  Paper titled “Analysis of Time-frequency Effects of ECG Signals Using Synchroextracting Transform” published at NODYCON 2023. Authors: Marcus Varanis, Sadra Hemmati, … C. Nataraj.
•  Dr. Nataraj served on the distinguished international awards committee at NODYCON 2023.

• Dr. Nataraj delivered a set of invited distinguished lectures to Lublin Institute of Technology, Lublin, Poland titled "Fault Diagnostics in Nonlinear Dynamic Systems", May 24-31, 2023.

•  Will Pivik defended his MS thesis titled “Modeling, Analysis and Clinical Decision Support System for a Low-Cost Mechanical Ventilator” successfully. May 23, 2023.
•  Paper titled “Rotor Crack Depth Estimation Using Recurrence Quantification Analysis” authored by Utkarsh Andharikar, Amirhassan Abbasi, Foad Nazari & C. Nataraj published in Proceedings of the XVI Vibration Engineering & Technology of Machinery Conference, Springer.

• Will Pivik, graduating MS student from VCADS, joined MC Dean Corporation in the DC area as an Engineer. We wish him lots of luck!

•  Amirhassan Abbasi defended his PhD dissertation titled “Hybrid Modeling of Nonlinear Dynamic Systems by Integration of Machine Learning and Physics” successfully. April 25, 2023.

• We said good-bye to Barbara Cunha and Alexandre Tavares, visiting PhD students from Federal University of Uberlandia, Brazil after a year of intensive research at VCADS.

•  Systematic fatigue spectrum editing by fast wavelet transform and genetic algorithm

  Systematic fatigue spectrum editing by fast wavelet transform and genetic algorithm

•  Dr. Nataraj started Nodycast, a technical podcast on nonlinear dynamics. Available on official website and podcast outlets: Apple, Stitcher, Google, Spotify, Amazon

  Nodycast

• Dr. Foad Nazari joined Rajant Corporation as a machine learning scientist

•  Dr. Nataraj gave a keynote on nonlinear dynamics impacts on medical diagnostics in Nodycon 2021

  Dr. Nataraj gave a keynote on Nonlinear Dynamics impacts on medical diagnostics in Nodycon 2021

 Dr.Nataraj, taught a Springer Nature workshop on writing academic papers

 Turki Haj Mohamad joined PARC, a Xerox Company as a data scientist in system analytics

•  Dr. Nataraj gave a keynote on EMeDS in IROS 2020

  Dr. Nataraj gave a keynote on EMeDS: Emergency Medical Delivery System in IROS 2020, Workshop on Humanitarian Robotics 2020.

•  Dr. Foad Nazari and Turki Haj Mohamad were selected to be session chairs at the 2020 PHM conference

  Dr. Foad Nazari and Turki Haj Mohamad were selected to be session chairs at PHM Annual Conference of the Prognostics and Health Management Society 2020 .

•  Dr. Nataraj and Turki filed a provisional patent (No. 63/040,638) that covers novel fault diagnostic algorithms.

  Dr. Nataraj and Turki filed a provisional patent protecting development and use of their novel fault diagnostic algorithms. This application covers a family of methods called Phase Space Topology (PST) that has proven its effectiveness on a wide range of applications (industrial and medical).

•  Dr. Nataraj has been selected to join the Editorial Board of Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing (MSSP)

  Dr. Nataraj has been selected to join the Editorial Board of Mechanical Systems and Signal Processing (MSSP).

•  VCADS leads team to develop low-cost ventilator
•  Radnor patch did an article on Villanova Low-Cost Ventilator (Nova Vent)

•  Villanova Low-Cost Ventilator project got featured on Forbes magazine homepage
•  Journal paper on new ML-hydraulics framework for flood modeling accepted in Scientific Reports-Nature

  A collaborative work by VCADS and Villanova-CEE department on presenting a new machine learning-hydraulics framework for flood depth modeling got accepted in Scientific Report-Nature journal. Hossein Hosseiny, Foad Nazari, Virginia Smith and C. Nataraj, "A Framework for Modeling Flood Depth Using a Hybrid of Hydraulics and Machine Learning", Scientific Reports, 2020.

•  Dr. C. Nataraj has assembled a team of academic, industrial and medical experts to launch low-cost ventilator initiative
•  Journal paper accepted on fault identification and severity analysis of rolling element bearings

  Our paper on fault identification and severity analysis of rolling element bearings has been accepted. TH, Mohamad, C. Nataraj, "Fault identifcation and severity analysis of rolling element bearings using phase space topology". Journal of Vibration and Control. (2020)

•  Dr. Nataraj interviewed about Ventilator project in Philadelphia Business Journal
•  Journal paper accepted on patient-centric pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation

  Our paper on patient-centric pediatric cardiopulmonary resuscitation has been accepted. Dieter Bender, Vinay M. Nadkarni, C. Nataraj "A Machine Learning Algorithm to Improve Patient-Centric Pediatric Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation". Informatics in Medicine Unlocked. (2020)

•  Dr. Nataraj interviewed about Ventilator project on KYW
•   Villanovans reported on launching "Nova Vent", an open source low-cost ventilator
•  Journal paper accepted on post-resonance backward whirl in rotor systems

  A Journal paper accepted on Post-Resonance Backward Whirl in Rotor Systems. Mohammad AL-Shudeifat, Fatima Al Hammadi, Tariq Alzarooni, C Nataraj "A Framework for Modeling Flood Depth Using a Hybrid of Hydraulics and Machine Learning", European Journal of Mechanics A/Solids, 2020.

•   Turki's work with Siemens during his internship will be presented in the AIChE conference 2020, San Francisco

  Turki's work with Siemens during his internship titled "Using Structural Insight from P&id and first principle relation for quick detection and localization of faults in the process industries" will be presented in the AIChE conference 2020, San Francisco

•  Journal paper accepted on Nonlinear dynamic analysis of Composite Structures

  Our paper on Nonlinear dynamic analysis of Composite Structures has been accepted. Singh, Simran J., C. Nataraj, and Suraj P. Harsha. "Nonlinear dynamic analysis of a sandwich plate with S-FGM face sheets and homogeneous core subjected to harmonic excitation." Journal of Sandwich Structures & Materials, 2020.

•  Dr. Nataraj and Dr. Foad Nazari elected as TPC members of PHME 2020 conference, Italy

  Dr. Nataraj and Dr. Foad Nazari were elected as member of Technical Program Committee of PHME 2020 conference in Turin, Italy.

•  Received Grant - $25,000

  Grant received on "Structural Health Monitoring", 9/1/2019-5/31/2020 - $25,000.

•  VCADS signed a collaborative agreement with CHOP

  VCADS signed a collaborative agreement with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP)for data exchange to aid in the development of novel medical diagnostics technology.

•   Dr. Nataraj's keynote speech at NSRD

  Dr. Nataraj's keynote speech at NSRD organization committee conference, India

•   Turki Haj Mohamad joined Siemens as an Intern

  Turki Haj Mohamad, VCADS Phd student worked as an intern from May 2019 - August 2019 at Siemens where he worked on alogorithm for diagnostic processes.

•  Dr. Mohsen Samadani joined Amazon

  Dr. Mohsen Samadani, a formar VCADS Phd student joined Amazon as a Data Scientist. VCADS team wish him lots of luck.

•   ONR grant received - $600,205

  ONR grant received on “Adaptive modeling of nonlinear dynamic systems by integration of physics and data”, 3/1/2019 - 2/28/2022 - $600,205.

•  VCADS organized a scholarly lecture by Professor Andrew Alleyne from University of Illinois

  VCADS, in collaboation with IEEE Control System Society, organized a scholarly lecture by Professor Andrew Alleyne from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on “Precision Motion Control for manufacturing applications” on April 22, 2019.

•   NIH grant received - $416,390

  NIH grant received on “Validation of Physiologic CPR Quality Using Non-invasive Waveform Analytics (CPR-NOVA)”, 3/1/2019-2/28/2022 - $416,390. This is a grant in collaboration with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

•   Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited speech at James Madison University, Harrisonburg, VA

  Dr. Nataraj was invited to give a lecture at James Madison University on "Fault Diagnostics of Nonlinear (Meaning Real!) Systems" on March 21, 2019.

•   Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited speech at IBM Think Conference

  Dr. Nataraj was invited to give a speech at IBM Think Conference on “How a team of Engineers and Doctors solved a longstanding analytics problem in Pediatric Medicine” on February 13, 2019.

•   Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited speech at Livongo Health

  Dr. Nataraj was invited to give a lecture at Livongo Health, Santa Clara, CA on “Biomedical Diagnostics: An Engineering Scientist’s Perspective” on February 11, 2019.

•  VCADS co-organized MATE

  VCADS co-organized a large outreach event called MATE. Middle and high school students from scores of schools in the East Coast competed to build tethered rovers for undersea operations. The winners go on to the international competition. About 350 students participated in the event; our event is the largest regional MATE competition in the world. It was funded by an endowment to VCADS from Paul Trumpler Foundation.

•   Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited talk at Miami University

  Dr. Nataraj was invited to give a talk at Miami University on “Biomedical Diagnostics: Challenges and Opportunities”.

•  Grant received in Preterm birth prediction

  David Cereceda and Dr. Nataraj received a grant on “Predicting the risk of spontaneous premature births in first-time mothers using clinical data and machine learning”, 5/25/2019-8/24/2019.

•   Dr. Shahab Ilbeigi left VCADS to join MIT as a postdoc

  Dr. Shahab Ilbeigi, an expert on nonlinear dynamics who was working at VCADS on high fidelity modeling of various systems, joined MIT as a postdoc. VCADS team wish him Good Luck.

•   Dr. Nataraj served on the VETOMAC organization committee conference, Brazil

  Dr. Nataraj Served on the conference organization committee for VETOMAC international conference in November 2018.

•   Dr. Nataraj served as local chair for the PHM conference

  Dr. Nataraj was elected and served as the local chair for the flagship annual conference of the Prognostic and Health Management Society held in Philadelphia, October 2018.

•   Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited speech at Auburn University

  Dr. Nataraj was invited to give a lecture at Auburn University on “Fault Diagnostics in Nonlinear Engineering and Biomedical System” on October 5, 2018.

•   VCADS organized a scholarly seminar by professor Warren Dixon from University of Florida

  VCADS oganized a scholarly seminar by professor Warren Dixon from University of Florida on “Theoretical and Experimental outcomes of Closed-Loop Neuromuscular Control Methods to yield Human Limb Motion” on October 24, 2018.

•   Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited talk at VETOMAC conference, Portugal

  Dr. Nataraj was invited speech at VETOMAC-XIV, Lisbon, Portugal on “Vibration Based Diagnostics abd Prognostics of Defects in Rotating Machinery”.

•   Dr. Nataraj delivered the invited speech at ONR Controls Workshop

  Dr. Nataraj was invited to give a lecture at ONR Controls Workshop on “Recent research result in fault Diagnostics of dynamic systems” on September 27, 2018.

•   VCADS organized the symposium at ASME Conference

  VCADS was the principal organizer for the symposium on “Rotating Systems” at the ASME International Design Engineering Conference held in August 2018.

•   Dr. Shahab Ilbeigi joined VCADS as postdoc

  Dr. Shahab Ilbeigi, an expert on nonlinear dynamics joined VCADS on July, 2018. Dr. Ilbeigi will contribute to VCADS projects on Diagnostic Health Management.

•   Dr. Nataraj served on the CSNDD organization committee conference, Morocco

  Dr. Nataraj served on the organization committee for CSNDD international conference in June 2018.

•   Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited talk at CSNDD, Morocco

  Dr. Nataraj invited for a speech at CSNDD on “Integration of nonlinear dynamics in the problem of rotating machinery diagnostics" on June 27, 2018.

•   NADC grant received - $125,000

  NADC (Naval Air Development Corporation) grant received on “Optimal fatigue spectrum generation using machine learning and wavelet transformations” - $125,000. This grant is in collaboration with Global Technology Connection, Atlanta.

•   Dr. Foad Nazari joined VCADS as postdoc

  Dr. Foad Nazari, an expert in Structural Health Monitoring, Machine Learning and Dynamic Analysis joined VCADS on May 24, 2018. Dr. Nazari will contribute to VCADS projects on Diagnostic Health Management.

•   Journal paper on diagnostics accepted in JVA

  Our paper on application of EPST for diagnostics of multiple faults in rolling element bearings has been accepted. Turki Haj-Mohamad, Mohsen Samadani and C. Nataraj, “ROLLING ELEMENT BEARING DIAGNOSTICS USING EXTENDED PHASE SPACE TOPOLOGY,” 2018.

•  Dr. Nataraj co-chairs EMeDS conference in Bengaluru, India

  EMeDS conference was held at Indian Institute of Science March 5-7, 2018, and was co-conducted by Dr. C. Nataraj and Dr. Kota Harinarayana. There were 65 enthusiastic participants from medical and engineering domains including 35 leading experts from US and India. For more details click here

•   Invited lecture at hospital
  

  Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited lecture at M S Ramaiah Hospital in Bengaluru, India on engineering applications to biomedical devices and diagnostics. A collaborative research project on CPR is planned.

•   Lecture on blockchain technology

  Professor James Solderitsch from the Computer Engineering Department delivered a lecture introducing the essentials of blockchain technology to the VCADS group. March 28, 2018.

•   Dr.Nataraj delivered the invited talk at Indo-US Workshop

  Indo-US Workshop on Emergency Medical Delivery System(EMeDS) Integration Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, IISc, Bangalore, "UAV Navigation, Control, etc. Issues and Challenges for EmeDS"

•   Dr.Nataraj delivered the invited talk at M S Ramaiah Hospital, India

  M S Ramaiah Hospital, Bangalore, India, "Challenges of using data in medicine"

•   Seminar at Temple University
  

  Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited seminar at Temple University Department of Mechanical Engineering on some recent VCADS research. February 9, 2018

•  Talk on ranked set sampling

  Professor Yimin Zhang from the Department of Statistics gave an invited talk on ranked set sampling to the VCADS group. February 14, 2018.

•  Journal paper on nonlinear modeling of bearings
  

  Our paper on nonlinear dynamical analysis of rotor-bearing systems has been accepted for publication in Journal of Vibration and Acoustics. Daniel Maraini and C. Nataraj, “Nonlinear Analysis of a Rotor-Bearing System using Describing Functions,” 2018.

•  Research agreement with Kitware
  

  VCADS has signed a research agreement with Kitware and will explore collaborative research in developing appropriate models for biomedical applications such as personalized medicine.

•  Dr. Nataraj serves as an Advisor for AEEC Innovation Lab, Fairfax, VA
  

  Dr. Nataraj serves as an Advisor for AEEC Innovation Lab located in Fairfax, VA. AEEC and VCADS have signed a collaborative agreement. AEEC's Innovation Lab is a hands-on environment with multiple cloud computing esources. It is especially useful for machine learning and data analytics and is open to universities.

•  Anderson presents paper at Machine Learning Conference
  

  PhD student Anderson Lebbad presented a paper at the International Conference on Machine Learning and Applications in Cancun, Mexico, December 2017. This paper concerns our EOD work on Classification of UXO using convolutional networks. The project is in collaboration with Golden West Humanitarian Foundation, and is funded by the US Department of State. Anderson is co-advised by Dr. Garrett Clayton.

•  Michael Benson presents paper at RobotX Symposium
  

  PhD student Michael Benson presented a paper at the RobotX symposium held in Sydney, Australia, December 2017. This paper is co-authored by Anderson Lebbad, J. Wesley Anderson, Garrett Clayton and C. Nataraj, and concerns several problems associated with vision-guided navigation of autonomous surface vehicles. Mike is advised by Dr. Clayton.

•  Grant received for Indo-US Workshop
  

  In collaboration with the Dr. Kota Harinarayana of Aeronautical Society of India, VCADS received a grant from Indo-US Science & Technology Forum (IUSSTF). The workshop is on Emergency Medical Delivery Systems Integrating Unmanned Aircraft Systems. This workshop/brain-storming session will involve 10 US and 15 Indian selected medical and engineering researchers who will come together in Bengaluru, India.

•  Dr. Nataraj nominated editor of Nonlinear Dynamics
  

  Dr. Nataraj has been nominated to the editorial board of the prominent journal, Nonlinear Dynamics, and will start his term in January 2018. He will be a Subject Editor for analytical methods and rotor dynamics.

•  Dr. Nataraj visits AEEC Innovation Lab
  

  Dr. Nataraj visited the AEEC Innovation Lab located in Fairfax, VA. Dr. Nataraj serves as an Advisor for this unique lab. AEEC's Innovation Lab is a hands-on environment with multiple cloud computing resources. It is especially useful for machine learning and data analytics and is open to universities. Please contact Dr. Nataraj if you are interested.

•  Villanova participates in NAE GCSP Conference
  

  Dr. Nataraj represented Villanova's College of Engineering at the National Academy of Engineering's Grand Challenge Scholars Program, held in Washington, DC in November 2017. The key idea is to develop educational programs in engineering that help educate (at least some of) the students to meet the Grand Challenges of Engineering. Villanova will likely be an active partner next year.

•  CPR research presented at IEEE HI-POCT Conference
  

  Dr. Nataraj presented a paper at the IEEE/NIH Conference on Healthcare Innovations and Point-of-Care Technologies (HI-POCT) held in Bethesda from November 6-8, 2017. The paper represents PhD student Dieter Bender's work on classification of asphyxia & ventricular fibrillation induced cardiac arrest during cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and could lead to a breakthrough in the way CPR is delivered in the future.

•  Dr. Nataraj gives invited talk at MBARI
  

  Dr. Nataraj was invited to give a seminar at Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI) on November 1, 2017. Dr. Nataraj presented some recent research results in diagnostics but also talked about autonomous vehicles. VCADS and MBARI are the process of starting a collaborative project in underwater vehicles.

•  Dr. Nataraj elected local chair for PHM conference
  

  Dr. Nataraj has been elected to be the Local Chair for the Annual Conference of the Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) Society. The popular PHM conference will be held from September 24th to 27th, 2018 at the Double Tree Hilton in Philadelphia.

•  Dr. Ali Jalali joins Johns Hopkins Hospital
  

  Dr. Ali Jalali, a PhD student/postdoc alum of VCADS has joined Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida. He will be working as a Data Scientist with the research group of Dr. Mohamed Rehman on predictive analytics for pediatric problems. We congratulate him and wish him every success in his new job!

•  Dr. Nataraj elected Conference Chair for VETOMAC
  

  Dr. Nataraj has been elected to be the general Conference Chair for the 15th VETOMAC. VETOMAC is the International Conference on Vibration Engineering and Technology Of Machinery and is held every year. This conference will be held in September 2019 in the Philadelphia area. The 14th is being held in Lisbon, Portugal in 2018.

•  Journal paper on marine vehicle control published
  

  We published a paper in Journal of Applied Nonlinear Dynamics. C. A. Kitio Kwuimy and C. Nataraj, "Nonlinear analysis of the yaw motion of a mariner vehicle under PDμ control", Vol. 6, No. 4, pp. 531-545, October 2017.

  Here is a link to the paper.

•  ONR Grantee Conference
  

  Dr. Nataraj attended the Office of Naval Research Grantee Conference, and presented a one-hour summary of VCADS research results focusing on diagnostics of nonlinear systems. The conference was held from October 31st to November 3rd at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, CA.

•  VCADS Hosts IEEE Distinguished Lecture
  

  VCADS, in collaboration with IEEE, co-organized a fascinating lecture, "Practical Adaptive Control" by Dr. Anuradha Annaswamy. Dr. Annaswamy is director of the Active-adaptive control lab at MIT. The lecture was held on October 18, 2017 and drew many faculty and students as well as practicing engineers from the industry.

•  Research presented at PHM Conference
  

  Dr. Nataraj presented a paper at the Annual Meeting of the Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) Society held in St. Petersburg, FL from October 2-5, 2017. The paper represents PhD student Turki Haj-Mohamad's work on gear diagnostics. We used data from an experimental helicopter gearbox set at the United Technologies Research Center and adapted Phase Space Topology with some extensions. This has led to the development of a new method that we call the EPST procedure with very promising results.

•  Chris Hsu joins ARL
  

  VCADS student researcher Christopher Hsu has joined Army Research Lab at Aberdeen Proving Grounds and will be working as an engineer in the Vehicle Technologies Directorate. Chris was a dynamite researcher and trained on machine learning and vibration diagnostics at VCADS and will be doing similar things at ARL.

  We congratulate him and wish him a lot of luck!

•  Paper presented on multiple fault diagnostics at ASME conference
  

  Dr. Nataraj presented a paper at the ASME International Design Engineering Technical Conferences, August 6-9, 2017, Cleveland, OH. The paper was based on the PhD research of Turki Haj-Mohamad, and was titled "Discrimination of multiple faults in bearings using density based orthogonal functions of the time response." Dr. Nataraj was also a Symposium Organizer and organized the sessions on Rotating Systems.

•  Keynote speech delivered in Thailand Conference
  

  Dr. Nataraj and Mr. Allen Tan (Golden West Humanitarian Foundation) jointly presented a talk on automation technologies for ordnance detection. The conference was organized by the Defense Technology Institute attached to the Federal Government of the Kingdom of Thailand. The talk was based on joint projects we have had (along with Dr. Garrett Clayton) over the past several years focusing on unexploded ordnances in Cambodia.

•  Journal paper published on human arm vibration
  

  We published a paper in Nonlinear Dynamics. C. A. Kitio Kwuimy, S. A. Adewusi, and C. Nataraj, "Characterization of the vibration transmitted in human arm using selected recurrence quantification parameters," Vol. 88, No. 4, pp. 2873-2887, June 2017.

  Here is a link to the paper.

•  Dr. Nataraj delivers TED-style talk at alumni reunion
  

  Dr. Nataraj traveled with Dean Gary Gabriele to Houston to meet with many energized alumni and to deliver a TED-style talk describing VCADS research on biomedical diagnostics and the solution of the long-standing medical puzzle of predicting periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) on May 23, 2017.

•  Dr. Ed Kim delivers lecture at VCADS
  

  Dr. Edward Kim from the Department of Computing Sciences delivered a lecture at VCADS on April 26, 2017. His interesting talk focused on the concept and approaches of deep learning and convolutional networks followed by an animated discussion.

•  MATE competition attracts over 300 students
  

  VCADS, in collaboration with the Mechanical Engineering department and Philadelphia Robotics, hosted the Midatlantic regional MATE competitionon April 15, 2017 for the sixth year in a row. It is a large, vibrant K-12 STEM activity, and challenges the students to spend almost a year designing and building remotely operated underwater vehicles. We are proud to be one of the largest regional competitions. Generous financial support was provided by Air Products Foundation, and material support was provided by VideoRay.

•  Dr. Nataraj delivers invited lecture at ARL
  

  Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited lecture at Army Research Laboratory in Aberdeen, MD on April 7, 2017. He was also given a tour of the vast facilities at ARL. VCADS and ARL will be signing a Cooperative Research Agreement shortly.

•  Journal paper published in Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization
  

  We published a paper in Structural and Multidisciplinary Optimization. Peiman Naseradinmousavi, Sahar Ghanipoor Machiani, Mohammad A. Ayoubi, and C. Nataraj, "Coupled operational optimization of smart valve system subject to different approach angles of a pipe contraction", Vol. 55, No. 3, pp. 1001-1015.

  Here is a link to the paper.

•  Invited lecture at ECRI
  

  Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited lecture at Emergency Care Research Institute (ECRI), Plymouth Meeting, PA on March 29, 2017. His talk concerned recent research results at VCADS in the area of biomedical diagnostics and discussed collaborations with ECRI.

•  Invited lecture at PARC
  

  Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited lecture at Palo Alto Research Center, Palo Alto, CA on March 23, 2017. His talk concerned recent research results at VCADS in the area of machinery diagnostics and discussed collaborations with PARC.

•  Invited lecture at Navatek
  

  Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited lecture at Navatek, South Kingstown, RI on March 3, 2017. His talk concerned recent research results at VCADS in the area of unmanned ship modeling and control and discussed collaborations with Navatek.

•  Journal paper published on CPR modeling
  

  We published the results of model development for CPR in Journal of Medical Systems. We believe this is simply the best model out there and will hopefully pave the way for better outcomes.

  Ali Jalali, Vinay Nadkarni, Robert Berg, and C. Nataraj, "A novel nonlinear mathematical model of thoracic wall mechanics during cardiopulmonary resuscitation based on a porcine model of cardiac arrest," Vol. 41 No. 20, February 2017.

  Here is a link to the paper.

•  Sustainable Engineering lecture at VCADS
  

  Dr. Ross Lee and Prof. Bill Lorenz delivered a lecture on February 22, 2017 on the problems in the evolving field of sustainable engineering which spawned an animated discussion of possible ways that VCADS could help them solve problems.

•  Dr. Nataraj delivers invited talk at ONR Controls conference
  

  Dr. Nataraj delivered an invited talk at the Office of Naval Research Controls Conference held in Columbia, SC, February 15-17, 2017. His talk concerned linear time varying control algorithms with an application to unmanned surface vehicles.

•  Journal paper honoring Prof. Nayfeh published
  

  We published a paper in The Franklin Institute. C. Nataraj, "2014 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Mechanical Engineering presented to Ali Hasan Nayfeh, Ph.D. of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, Virginia, USA, University of Jordan Amman, Jordan", Journal of the Franklin Institute, Vol. 354, No. 1, pp. 32-38, January 2017.

  This paper celebrates the lifetime contributions of Late Professor Ali Nayfeh.Here is a link to the paper.

•  Dr. Mohsen Samadani graduates and joins Amsted Rail
  

  Mohsen Samadani successfully defended his PhD dissertation entitled "Physics-based and data-driven algorithms for diagnostics of nonlinear dynamic systems" on January 12, 2017. Dr. Samadani has joined Amsted Rail as a diagnostics research engineer and will be developing predictive analytic algorithms for the rail industry.

  We congratulate him and wish him much luck!

•  Journal paper on PST for nonlinear diagnostics published
  

  We published a paper in Nonlinear Dynamics based on the work by PhD student Mohsen Samadani. This represents a new method invented at VCADS. Mohsen Samadani, C. A. Kitio Kwuimy, and C. Nataraj, "Characterization of the nonlinear response of defective multi-DOF oscillators using the method of phase space topology (PST)," Nonlinear Dynamics, Vol. 86, No. 3, pp. 2023-2034, November 2016.

  Here is a link to the paper.

•  Journal paper published on nonlinear dynamics in coupled valves
  

  This paper carries out nonlinear analysis of smart valves used in ships and submarines.

  Peiman Naseradinmousavi, David Segala, and C. Nataraj, "Chaotic and hyperchaotic dynamics of coupled actuated butterfly valves subject to a sudden contraction," Journal of Computational and Nonlinear Dynamics, Vol. 11, No. 5 pp. 051025-1:051025-9, September 2016.

  Here is a link to the paper.

•  Journal paper published on intubation detection
  

  This paper provides an intelligent algorithm to reduce errors during intubation and is based on the work we carried out in collaboration with Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. This is the subject also of a pending patent. Ali Jalali, Arul M. Lingappan, Mohamed Rehman, and C. Nataraj "Automatic detection of endotracheal intubation during the anesthesia procedure.," ASME Journal of Dynamic Systems, Measurement and Control, Vol. 138, No. 11, pp. 111013-1-111013-8, August 2016.

  Here is a link to the paper.

•  Journal paper published on coupled valve optimization
  

  This paper carries out energy optimization of coupled smart valves used in ships and submarines.

  Peiman Naseradinmousavi, Miroslav Krstic, and C. Nataraj, "Design optimization of dynamically coupled actuated butterfly valves subject to a sudden contraction," ASME Journal of Mechanical Design, Vol. 138, No. 4, pp. 041402-1:041402-11, April 2016.

  Here is a link to the paper.

•  Dr. Nat's TEDx talk: "How engineers can help doctors save lives"
  

  In "How engineers can help doctors save lives", Dr. Nataraj describes the human body as a complex dynamic system that cannot be fully understood by conventional medical diagnostics. Given the diversity of the human race, it is difficult to define "normal" and as a result, millions of patients are incorrectly diagnosed each year, leading to unnecessary treatments and death.

  Dr. Nataraj believes engineers can offer a solution: "physics, mathematics and computer algorithms can be used effectively and intelligently to make this situation a whole lot better," he says.

  During his talk, Dr. Nataraj discussed these ideas and shared results from research he is conducting with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

  In collaboration with CHOP doctors, he is applying a machinery diagnostic approach to studying data on periventricular leukomalacia, a mysterious neurological damage that occurs in neonates.

  Please click here to watch the talk and click here to read the original article published in the VU College of Engineering News Room.

•  VCADS article ranked in the top 5

  An article in the year book of International Medical Informatics Association has compiled 1,254 papers on the medical decision making systems and ranked the top 25 papers. In the category of decision support systems for a complex clinical conditions 5 papers were ranked at the top, including a paper co-authored by Dr. Jalali and Dr. Nataraj with collaboration with Dr. Daniel Licht atChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP).

  The paper was entitled "Prediction of periventricular leukomalacia occurrence in neonates after heart surgery" and published in the IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics.

  Please click here to read the report.

•  VU in the news.

  Please click here to watch the video

•  Philadelphia Inquirer article on Villanova robotics project - October 2014.