Dr. Tovar is an Associate Professor of Mechanical and Energy Engineering at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). He received a B.S. degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1995 and an M.S. degree in Industrial Automation in 2000 from the National University of Colombia. Dr. Tovar earned his M.S. and Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 2004 and 2005, respectively. At IUPUI, he has received the 2015 Wisner-Stoelk Outstanding Faculty Award and the 2016 and 2020 IU Trustees Teaching Award. He also received the 2014 SAE Ralph R. Teetor Educational Award, the 2018 SHPE STAR Educator of the Year Award, and the First Place in the 2015 ARPA-E LITECAR Challenge. His research areas include structural topology optimization, Bayesian optimization, and the development of compostable plastics for additive manufacturing.

Dr. Amanda Siegel is an Assistant Research Professor in the department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Dr. Siegel’s research interests range from running clinical trials probing volatile organic metabolites in human samples to developing gas sensors, from electrospinning nanoparticles to probing exosome dynamics. This research project involves her longstanding collaboration on developing eco-friendly potato starch-based plastics. Siegel’s research has been funded by the National Science Foundation and the Veteran’s Administration. Siegel has authored over 30 refereed journal articles and, due to the multidisciplinary nature of her research, submitted manuscripts for publication with over 90 different coauthors including chemists, physicists, biologists, medical doctors, and electrical, mechanical and biomechanical engineers.

Kourtney Collier is a Mechanical Engineering student at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI). She has been involved with research at IUPUI since 2018 and has worked on projects relating to starch-based plastics, additive manufacturing, spin crossover thin films, and 3D printing Lithium-Ion batteries. During her sophomore year, she won third place in the Southeastern Additive Manufacturing Symposium student presentation competition for her research presentation about potato starch bio-based plastic reinforced with hemp microfibers for potential use in additive manufacturing. She plans to graduate with her bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Mathematics and a certificate in Sustainable Technologies in 2023 and her master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2024.