Dr. Katepalli R. Sreenivasan, a distinguished experimental physicist whose research focuses on the behavior of fluids and turbulence, has been appointed as President of the Polytechnic Institute of New York University, effective immediately.

NYU Poly Incubator Initiatives Presents at SIIA Information Industry Summit 2013, Jan-30-2013 02:20 PM. Venue: Pier Sixty, Pier 60, 23rd Street and West Side Highway, New York, NY 10011, United States. Speakers: Steven Kuyan, Executive Director.

Researchers at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University and REL Inc. announced that they are creating a next-generation aluminum composite brake rotor potentially weighing 60% less than cast iron rotors with triple the life expectancy. Due to expense composite brakes have been reserved for motorcycles, race cars and high-performance sports cars, but this new, fiber reinforced, metal matrix composite (MMC) brake rotor aims at the mass market. It will be easier to manufacture, and the fiber reinforcements will provide longer life span. The researchers also estimate that their composite rotor will shave approximately £30 from a mid-size sedan -- a significant advantage in an industry facing fleet a fuel economy requirement of 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025. The company tapped the expertise of NYU-Poly Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Associate Professor Nikhil Gupta and his Composites Materials and Mechanics Lab to develop the technology for automotive application. The collaboration will result in a prototype, first-of-its-kind rotor that may revolutionize a market valued at $10 billion annually. Manufacturers have long sought to improve the durability and performance of automotive brakes, which are subject to tremendous temperature and pressure changes. Gupta and REL are developing a one-piece brake rotor uniquely tailored to meet the extreme and variable temperature and loading conditions. Most of today's brake rotors are made of cast iron, which offers strength but at a cost of weight. Iron also doesn't adapt well to the demands placed on different sections of the rotor. A brake rotor has three functional zones, each of which requires a material with distinct strain and thermal properties to function optimally. Temperature and pressure changes across the rotor surface are a major cause of wear warp and brake failure. The team will replace the traditional rotor material with a high-temperature aluminum alloy reinforced with functionally graded ceramic particles and fibers to create a lightweight but extremely durable material that can be customized to best serve each section of the rotor.