Welcome
Hello and welcome!
Dr. Leland Weiss is the Thurman Lauret Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Louisiana Tech and serves in many ways across the College of Engineering and Science, University, and community. Dr. Weiss has worked at Louisiana Tech since 2008, and in summer 2017 became the Director of Civil and Mechanical Engineering & Construction Engineering Technology. To find out more about these programs specifically, please visit our College website: http://coes.latech.edu/
The Grand Challenges of Engineering and Education
Dr. Weiss is the Director for Louisiana Tech’s Grand Challenge Scholars Program and faculty co-adviser to the Louisiana Tech Student ASME section. The GCSP is an exciting program that allows students to explore and engage National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) 14 Grand Challenges right here at Louisiana Tech. Be sure to check out the GCSP webpage for more information on how to get involved. It's an exciting program that includes undergraduate student research with some of our best research faculty right here at Louisiana Tech.
Dr. Weiss is passionate about engineering and education and is actively involved in K-12 STEM education efforts and outreach. In summer 2017, funded research work started with local parish school districts to bring Grand Challenge activities and STEM fundamentals to 3-5th graders. This is a very important age group when considering long-term STEM engagement. Research has noted a drop in student STEM interest and engagement following these formative years. Be sure to check out the STEM education page for more information on these activities.
Energy Research
Dr. Weiss also leads the Institute for Micromanufacturing's Scalable Devices and Energy Efficiency lab. Mirofluidics, device design, and thermal management are common threads to lab activities. Design and operation of Lab on a Chip devices has been under investigation with collaborators internal and external. New materials that enhance the 3D printing capability of widely available, consumer grade printers are also under investigation. These materials are keyed to enhance both thermal and electrical capabilities, and fundamental studies are underway. Target applications include on-site, on-demand manufacturing of space saving heat exchangers and other thermally sensitive applications.
The use of low-temperature thermal sources as a producer of useful power output is also an area of interest. This research has exhibited strong support from various funding agencies including the NSF and NASA. The NSF granted a CAREER award several years ago specific to these research efforts titled, “Ambient Thermal Energy Harvesting for Power Production.” NASA has also sponsored work in collaboration with Radiance Technologies to build and field test an autonomous power platform. This collaborative effort has resulted in a unique thermal energy scavenging system capable of providing power to a variety of sensors in the field.
The pages on this site go into more detail on many of these areas of Dr. Weiss' interest and investment. Please contact Dr. Weiss if you have interest in these activities or any of the other topics on this website.
Leland Weiss, PhD
Thurman Lauret Professor
Director of Civil and Mechanical Engineering
& Construction Engineering Technology
Professor, Mechanical Engineering
Director: Tech Grand Challenge Scholars Program
Louisiana Tech University
Phone: 318-257-5113
E-mail: lweiss@latech.edu