We're taking you to the labs today. UTC has been making national headlines over the last few months for research being done by its professors. Let's learn something new from four unique studies.

Cicadas + our freshwater streams

Assistant Professor Dr. Rich Walker (Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science) was recently awarded a $5,000 grant to continue his research on how cicada broods can affect aquatic species.

During the super brood of 2024, Walker and a team traveled to Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa to study freshwater streams. Once he relocated to Chattanooga, he continued researching our local waterways. With the grant, Walker will implement a streamside mesocosm — an enclosed outdoor environment that mimics natural conditions — to simulate cicada decomposition, determining the ripple effects of the surge of nutrients and carbon that fall into the streams.

Renewable energy gets hotter

Assistant Professor Rahul R. Bhosale (Department of Civil and Chemical Engineering) will use a $199,734 grant to research renewable energy systems — particularly those focused on global challenges related to energy, materials + the environment.

Bhosale's research is working to advance high-temperature thermochemical energy storage — an alternative to concentrated solar power that is common today, which has temperature limitations. The study is also based on the development of doped calcium manganite that could sustain repeated heating + cooling cycles.

The study will run through July of 2027.

Dr. Tim Gaudin was also published in Science in 2013 for a study about evolutionary relationships of modern + extinct placental mammals. | Photo by Angela Foster via UTC

Slow evolution of sloths

Professor Dr. Tim Gaudin (Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Science) now has a co-authorship byline in Science — one of the most prestigious scientific journals.

Gaudin, as part of an international collaboration, set out to discover the evolution of sloths, dating back 45 million years. The research focuses on studying factors that can account for why sloth species vary in size, with the largest known sloth being comparable to a modern African elephant.

According to Gaudin and his counterparts, climate plays a big role — warmer climates have larger sloths than colder ones. Another factor includes habitats; sloths known to live in trees are the smallest.

The patent patient

Department Head + Professor Dr. Erkan Kaplanoglu (Department of Engineering Management and Technology) secured a US design patent for a rehabilitation invention.

Kaplanoglu's pneumatically powered balance board (meaning it uses compressed air or gas) aims to support the physical rehabilitation of those with chronic lower back pain, either from injury or surgery. It is built using a Stewart-platform configuration, controlling motion in pitch, roll + yaw.

A study at the university is being done by Dr. Max Jordon to obtain clinical use of the board.