The Illinois Science and Technology Coalition (ISTC) has named three Illinois State University professors as Researchers to Know. Dr. Isaac Chang, Dr. Pranshoo Solanki, and Dr. Wolfgang Stein were selected for demonstrating excellence in their field.
Dr. Isaac Chang is an associate professor in the Department of Technology at Illinois State. He is affiliated with XR@ISU and serves as a co-chair for the AR/VR area in the campus-wide Research Computing Advisory Board.
Chang studies human spatial cognition, including spatial exploration and path planning, spatiotemporal perception, and multi-sensory spatial interactions, aiming to utilize technology to improve human cognitive performance and user experiences. He has collaborated with researchers of diverse backgrounds and industry partners to investigate XR-based industrial robot programming, spatial information extraction from manual assembly instructions, VR-assisted cognitive rehabilitation for elderly adults, and assistive technology for visually impaired individuals to navigate unfamiliar environments. Chang’s long-term objective is to develop computing platforms to support research in intelligent transportation and infrastructure, smart healthcare systems, and innovative workforce development.
Appears InHe has received external and internal grants to support his research endeavors. Recently, he received a two-year grant from State Farm to develop a VR-assisted, scenario-based learning environment for teen drivers to improve their driving performance and confidence without exposing them to physical dangers. The same platform, once validated, can be used to study drivers’ engagement with vulnerable road users, drivers’ performance in the autonomous driving takeover, and drivers’ cognitive workloads with modern automotive technologies.
Dr. Pranshoo Solanki is a full professor in the construction management program in the Department of Technology. He received his doctorate in civil engineering from the University of Oklahoma in May of 2010. Solanki has worked on several transportation and construction projects funded by agencies such as the Illinois Transportation Center, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Oklahoma Department of Transportation.
Solanki is a registered professional engineer in the United States and serves as a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB), American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE), and American Concrete Institute (ACI). He also served as a National Science Foundation (NSF) panel member, National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) panel member, and session chairman for several national/international conferences.
Solanki’s career research efforts have an overall theme of development and evaluation of innovative construction materials and methodologies that can be used for building a sustainable, heavy-civil infrastructure that generates minimal carbon footprint. This includes sustainable modification of existing materials like Portland cement concrete, soils, aggregate, asphalt concrete and development of new materials like geopolymers and composites.
Solanki’s research takes a critical look at practical solutions to climate issues involving building materials. By examining ways to minimize waste, reduce use of highly environmental-impacting materials, and examining alternative materials, he is making a difference in our region and beyond. He also studies permeable concretes. His support from the EPA and the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is a testament to the quality and impact of his work. With the increase in climate impact in the future, his research helps set a practical course forward and is an example of the great work being done in Illinois.
Overall, Solanki’s research efforts have resulted in approximately $1 million in combined external and internal funding (from agencies such as the EPA, IDOT, and NOAA), three book chapters, 37 published peer-reviewed journal articles, 46 national and international peer-reviewed conference proceeding articles, one co-edited book, 18 technical reports, 71 presentations at local, state, national and international conferences/symposium, and nine research awards/honors. Solanki also received the 2021-2022 CAST (College of Applied Science and Technology) Outstanding Researcher Award at Illinois State.
Dr. Wolfgang Stein is a professor of neurophysiology at Illinois State. He earned his doctorate of natural sciences from the University of Kaiserslautern in Germany and did post-doctoral work at Bielefeld and Pennsylvania. He has served as a mentor for numerous graduate and undergraduate students.
The Stein lab studies the mechanisms that allow neurons to generate activity that is robust against perturbations and is particularly interested in how neurons deal with changing body conditions and environmental influences. Climate-change-driven temperature changes, for example, affect the nervous systems of billions of animals, and hyperthermia and fever can severely damage the human brain. Surprisingly, very little is known about how the nervous system can respond to detrimental temperature changes and how it may remain functional when it heats up.
One focus of Stein’s research is on neuromodulators that are released in the nervous system, like neuropeptides or monoamines, and how they allow neurons to continue to function during temperature perturbations.
A second focus is on how sensory signals are processed in the nervous system and how they affect neuronal activity. They take advantage of the well-studied central pattern generators of different crab and crayfish species to achieve an evolutionary perspective of these questions and to extract general mechanisms that help us understand neuronal responses to environmental stimuli. Because crustacean neurons are comparatively large, are exposed to many environmental influences, and have a known connectome, the same neurons and circuits can also be identified in many different species, which allows evolutionary comparisons.
Importantly, neurons, networks, and their modulatory systems continue to function outside of the animal and can be kept alive for many days ex-vivo. This allows for the study of the cellular and network effects of varying environmental and paracrine conditions in great detail. Stein’s work has been supported by The Kavli Foundation and the National Science Foundation, with over $2 million in awards.
This international collaboration and recognition show the impact of the work he and his students are doing. His lab’s work is widely cited (over 1,500 times) and well received. He has over 65 peer-reviewed publications. He has received several campus research awards, most recently the Outstanding University Researcher.
