Announcements

1. “Recent Advances in Acoustics of Transitional Airfoils with Feedback-Loop Interactions: A Review”
by Golubev, V.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1057; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031057
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/1057

2. “Improving the Accuracy of Analytical Relationships for Mechanical Properties of Permeable Metamaterials“
by Hedayati, R.; Ghavidelnia, N.; Sadighi, M.; Bodaghi, M.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(3), 1332; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11031332
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/3/1332

3. “Underwater Acoustic Target Recognition with a Residual Network and the Optimized Feature Extraction Method”
by Hong, F.; Liu, C.; Guo, L.; Chen, F.; Feng, H.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1442; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041442
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1442

4. “Ultrasound Extraction Mediated Recovery of Nutrients and Antioxidant Bioactive Compounds from Phaeodactylum tricornutum Microalgae”
by Khawli, F.; Martí-Quijal, F.; Pallarés, N.; Barba, F.; Ferrer, E.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1701; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041701
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1701

5. “Monitoring the Hydration Process in Carbon Nanotube Reinforced Cement-Based Composites Using Nonlinear Elastic Waves”
by Tragazikis, I.; Kordatou, T.; Exarchos, D.; Dalla, P.; Matikas, T.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(4), 1720; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11041720
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/4/1720

6. “3D Roughness Measurement of Failure Surface in CFA Pile Samples Using Three-Dimensional Laser Scanning”
by Seo, H.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2713; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062713
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2713

7. “Recent Advancements in Non-Destructive Testing Techniques for Structural Health Monitoring”
by Kot, P.; Muradov, M.; Gkantou, M.; Kamaris, G.; Hashim, K.; Yeboah, D.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(6), 2750; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11062750
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/6/2750

8. “Aeroacoustics Assessment of an Hybrid Aircraft Configuration with Rear-Mounted Boundary Layer Ingested Engine”
by Petrosino, F.; Barbarino, M.; Staggat, M.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(7), 2936; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11072936
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/7/2936

9. “Detection and Localization of Multiple Damages through Entropy in Information Theory”
by Ceravolo, R.; Civera, M.; Lenticchia, E.; Miraglia, G.; Surace, C.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 5773; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11135773
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/13/5773

10. “An Ensemble of Convolutional Neural Networks for Audio Classification”
by Nanni, L.; Maguolo, G.; Brahnam, S.; Paci, M.
Appl. Sci. 2021, 11(13), 5796; https://doi.org/10.3390/app11135796
Available online: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/11/13/5796

MDPI will be attending RBMP 2022, held in Sevilla, Spain, from 14 to 16 September 2022. The Meeting of Plant Molecular Biology (RBMP) is the most important biennial event with the greatest impact on plant research, open to scientists from academia and industry. During this conference, MDPI (at the booth #25) welcomes researchers from different backgrounds to visit and share with us your latest inspirations.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• IJMS (leading journal);
• CIMB;
• Plants;
• Horticulturae;
• Applied Sciences;
• Antioxidants;
• Taxonomy.

If you plan on attending this conference, feel free to stop by our booth #25. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person to answer any questions you may have.

For more information about the conference, please see the following link: https://www.bcongresos.com/congresos/rbmp2022/.

A range of MDPI journals will be attending INTECOL 2022 as exhibitors. This meeting will be held in Geneva, Switzerland, from 28 August to 2 September 2022.

“Frontiers in Ecology – Science and Society” is the general theme of the conference. With an estimated number of 1500 participants coming to Geneva, and as many following the conference from a distance, the conference aims to bring the state-of-the-art expertise in ecology to the forefront of societal challenges.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Diversity (leading);
• Sustainability;
• Forests;
• Ecologies;
• Environments;
• Plants;
• Animals;
• World;
• Quaternary;
• Earth;
• Resources;
• Applied Sciences;
• Birds;
• Climate;
• Water;
• Fishes.

If you are attending this conference, please feel free to start a conversation with us at our booth #03. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person and answering any questions that you may have. For more information about the conference, please visit http://intecol2021.org/, or contact the Diversity Editorial Office at diversity@mdpi.com.

MDPI will be attending the 25th International Conference on Digital Audio Effects (DAFx20in22), held in Vienna, Austria, from 6 to 10 September 2022.

The following MDPI journals will be represented:

• Applied Sciences (leading);
• Acoustics;
• Audiology Research;
• Digital;
• Vibration.

If you plan on attending this conference, feel free to stop by our booth. Our delegates look forward to meeting you in person to answer any questions that you may have.

For more information about the conference, please see the following link: https://dafx2020.mdw.ac.at/.

To ensure the continued efficient and high-quality production of our journal, we are currently seeking nominations and applications for the position of Section Editor-in-Chief (SEiC) for the following Sections of Applied Sciences (ISSN: 2076-3417):

Engineering Subject:

• “Agricultural Science and Technology”;
• “Marine Science and Engineering ”;
• “Robotics and Automation”;
• “Transportation and Future Mobility”.

Physical Sciences Subject:

• “Fluid Science and Technology”;
• “Quantum Science and Technology”.

Chemistry & Materials Science Subject:

• “Materials Science and Engineering”;
• “Surface Sciences and Technology”.

Biology & Life Sciences Subject:

• “Biomedical Engineering”;
• “Applied Microbiology”;
• “Applied Neuroscience and Neural Engineering”.

Environmental & Earth Sciences Subject:

• “Green Sustainable Science and Technology”;
• “Ecology Science and Engineering”.

The Section Editor-in-Chief is responsible for ensuring the scientific quality of a particular Section of a journal and is expected to oversee the growth and development of the journal Sections and its Board Members.

The responsibilities of a Section Editor-in-Chief include the following:

• Acting as an ambassador for the journal, MDPI, and Open Access publishing;
• Making scientific decisions about the scope of their Section;
• Inviting distinguished scientists to join the Editorial Board;
• Suggesting topics for Special Issues;
• Providing support and guidance to Editorial Board Members and editorial staff where required;
• Maintaining oversight of the editorial process for individual manuscripts in their Section (mainly by making the final decision as to whether a paper can be published after peer review and revisions);
• Understanding, leading, and upholding MDPI’s peer review and ethics guidelines.

If you are a researcher in a related field and are passionate about participating in the publication of cutting-edge research, please do not hesitate to get in touch about joining the Editorial Board (https://www.mdpi.com/journal/applsci). To apply for this position, please contact the Applied Sciences Editorial Office (applsci@mdpi.com) with the following two files attached:

• A full academic CV;
• A short cover letter that details your interests and enthusiasm for the position.

Name: Prof. Dr. Dimitris Mourtzis
Email: mourtzis@lms.mech.upatras.gr
Article Title: “Real-Time Remote Maintenance Support Based on Augmented Reality (AR)”

Prof. Dr. Dimitris Mourtzis is a Professor at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics at the University of Patras. At this institute, he also serves as Vice President of the Research and Development Council of the University of Patras and Governing Board Member for the Clean Aviation Joint Undertaking, representing European Academia. He is also the Director of the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS). Additionally, he is the coordinator of the Internal Evaluation Team for the evaluation of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics. At the University of Patras, he has served as Vice Chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics from 2017 to 2020 and the Director of the Design and Manufacturing Division from 2015 to 2017. He has remarkable teaching experience, having taught for many years eight undergraduate and four postgraduate courses at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics at the University of Patras in the field of Manufacturing Systems Programming and Control Methods. He has been the coordinator of the innovative educational activity for engineers, Teaching Factories—“New training methods of the Engineer”, in close collaboration with the industry. At an international level, he is the Faculty Liaison representing the University of Patras in the iPodia program. His scientific interests focus on the simulation, design, planning and control of manufacturing systems and networks, robotic systems, automation, augmented, mixed, and virtual reality in manufacturing, manufacturing processes modeling and machine tool maintenance. Furthermore, his research interests are also focused on the design, development and implementation of solutions based on technologies such as the cloud, internet of things (IoT), the digital twin, 5G cellular networks, and artificial intelligence as well as on the development of product–service systems (PSS). He is also actively involved in the digital transformation of manufacturing companies and implementation of Industry 4.0 as well as of the upcoming Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0 practices, both on a national and international level.

He is a Fellow of the International Academy for Production Research (CIRP), International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC 5.2), and International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP WG 5.7); Member of the Scientific Committee of the International Association of Learning Factories (IALF), European Factories of the Future Association (EFFRA), American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), and European Manufacturing and Innovation Research Association (EMIRACLE); and Founding Member of the European Aeronautics Science Network/Association (EASN).

He is also the author and editor of the book Design and Operation of Production Networks for Mass Personalization in the Era of Cloud Technology, published by Elsevier in 2022. He also participates as a member of the editorial board of nine international scientific journals and has participated as a guest editor in four international scientific journals with a high impact factor.

He has published around three hundred scientific papers, of which one hundred were in highly regarded international scientific journals and one hundred and fifty at international scientific conferences in addition to thirty-five chapters in books, ten editorials, and four white papers. His research work has been acknowledged by the scientific community with more than 10,300 citations (h-index 52) according to the Google Scholar, Scopus, and ResearchGate databases.

We want to congratulate Prof. Dr. Dimitris Mourtzis for winning the Applied Sciences 2020 Best Paper Award in “Mechanical Engineering”.

The following is an interview with Prof. Dr. Dimitris Mourtzis:

1. Could you please briefly introduce the main research content of the winning paper?

Cloud computing has enabled the provision of high-quality services, especially in the field of maintenance. However, since modern machines are becoming more complex, maintenance has to be carried out by experienced and well-trained personnel, while overseas support is timely and financially costly. Furthermore, augmented reality (AR) is a backbone technology facilitating the development of robust maintenance support tools. However, its applications are limited to the provision of predefined scenarios. Thus, the main research content of the winning paper is research work that aims to design and develop a framework for the support of remote maintenance and repair operation based on AR by creating suitable communication channels between the shop-floor technicians and the expert engineers who are utilizing real-time feedback from the operator’s field of view. Finally, the applicability and validation of the proposed tool are tested in a lab-based machine shop and a real-life industrial case study.

2. Could you describe the difficulties and breakthrough innovations encountered in this research?

Τhe most important challenge that the research and development community has to overcome is the creation of highly intuitive AR applications and tools. Even though there are several publications covering the AR-based aspect of maintenance, the majority of publications have focused on the remote assistance of technical operation. However, in the majority of publications, the use of frame markers is inevitable, which can highly affect the overall performance of the tool and, by extension, the performance of the shop-floor/field technician. Therefore, according to our literature search, a more robust and compact framework to enhance the technician’s mobility when working on the machine is needed. This research work is one of the first publications that provide real-time support based on AR technology.

3. What are the current cutting-edge research areas in this field?

The majority of maintenance tasks are now being completed in one of four ways: shipment to a repair facility, hiring a skilled specialist, hiring a novice technician, or a combination of these. The method, involving the use of a skilled specialist, would undoubtedly result in faster and higher-quality maintenance than that provided by a novice technician. However, there may not be a specialist available, resulting in longer downtime for equipment and higher travel costs. Additionally, if the maintenance problem is not properly reported before the specialist arrives, additional transportation may be required to allow the specialist to diagnose the problem and obtain the necessary tools and replacement parts. Next, another method used for maintenance would be to utilize a novice technician, aided by an operations manual or additional instructional material such as videos. While personnel would be readily available, support material takes a long time to produce and quickly becomes obsolete as the equipment is modified. Finally, allowing an off-site skilled specialist to guide an on-site novice technician through maintenance tasks using an audiovisual call is another option for performing maintenance. Therefore, it may be difficult to effectively communicate tasks when both the specialist and the novice technician are unfamiliar with the same terminology because of the high reliance on technical vocabulary. As a result, finding more efficient ways to train and guide technicians is critical to the continued maintenance of globally distributed equipment.

Taking into consideration that, under the framework of Industry 4.0, the complexity of machines and systems has greatly increased, suitably trained personnel are required for maintenance repair and operations (MRO). Moreover, during the current Industrial Revolution, the research community has expended great efforts in the design, development, and implementation of big dataset analytics toward predictive maintenance (PdM). PdM approaches can facilitate the improvement of production and manufacturing networks by providing good estimates for future events (e.g., machine breakdowns). However, there is a lack within the field of decision-making and human support.

Above all, engineering is a wide and highly technological field that focuses on the satisfaction of market demands (human demands). Therefore, it is imperative that humans remain at the center of attention. Many countries are already moving toward more human-centric, resilient, and sustainable initiatives in what is known as Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0. Similar to the pillar technologies of Industry 4.0, Industry 5.0 and Society 5.0 will focus on the development of new analytics methods also known as prescriptive analytics. Prescriptive analytics can be realized as the next generation of predictive analytics. Their main differentiation lies in the provision of decision-making support (for prescriptive analytics), which will facilitate humans into foreseeing future events and act proactively and, by extension, improve the seamless and continuous operation of manufacturing and production networks. Furthermore, digital technologies, such as extended reality (which encapsulates augmented reality, virtual reality, and mixed reality) will be key drivers for delivering more intuitive human experiences and improved data interpretation and visualization.

4. As one of the winners of the Applied Sciences Best Paper Award, what do you think researchers find appealing about this award?

Beyond the publication of their manuscripts, the Best Paper Award is the ultimate recognition of the research work accomplished by scientists. It is important for authors to receive recognition for their research activities as well as to know that the community has benefited from their research work. Furthermore, the Best Paper Award is one of the most important points for building a strong academic and professional profile. Finally, such awards drive young researchers to strive even harder to produce and publish top-quality research works.

5. How do you think open access impacts authors?

Scientific research shows that publishing in open access results in more citations and impact because of the global visibility without barriers. Businesses can also gain access to the most up-to-date scientific ideas, which they can then build on. Increased visibility is one of the most widely praised benefits of open access publishing; since there is no barrier to accessing articles, more people can find and read them. To that end, this research work has been cited 43 times so far, based on Google Scholar.

About the other authors of “Real-Time Remote Maintenance Support Based on Augmented Reality (AR)”:

John Angelopoulos
John Angelopoulos holds an integrated master’s in Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics from the University of Patras. He is currently a Ph.D. candidate and Research Associate with the Laboratory of Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS) at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras. His research activities are related to extended reality (XR), maintenance techniques, artificial intelligence (AI), and manufacturing systems in Industry 4.0. He has published 45 research works, including 2 book chapters, 10 publications in scientific journals, 32 publications at international scientific conferences, and 1 white paper. His research work has been acknowledged by the scientific community with more than 300 citations corresponding to an h-index of 10 according to Google Scholar.

Vasileios Siatras
Vasilis Siatras is an undergraduate integrated master’s degree student at the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics at the University of Patras. His research interests are focused on artificial intelligence (AI), optimization, and extended reality (XR) technologies. He is also a Research Associate at the Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems and Automation (LMS) working on European-funded projects in close collaboration with key innovation drivers and SMEs in Europe. He has also published thirteen research papers in international journals and conferences. His research work has been acknowledged by the scientific community with 120 citations corresponding to an h-index of 5 according to Google Scholar.

The purpose of our Best Paper Awards is to promote and recognize the most impactful contributions published within MDPI journals.

The academic editors of each journal carefully selected reviews and research papers through a rigorous judging process based on criteria such as the scientific merit, overall impact, and the quality of presentation of the papers published in the journal.

We are honored to present the winners in the “Engineering” category, who were selected amongst extensive competition, and congratulate the authors for their outstanding scientific publications.

Actuators:

• “Position Control of Pneumatic Actuators Using Three-Mode Discrete-Valued Model Predictive Control”
  by Haitao Qi, Gary M. Bone and Yile Zhang
  Actuators 2019, 8(3), 56; doi: 10.3390/act8030056
• “Review of Electrothermal Actuators and Applications”
  by Alissa Potekhina and Changhai Wang
  Actuators 2019, 8(4), 69; doi: 10.3390/act8040069

Batteries:

• “Pre-Lithiation Strategies for Rechargeable Energy Storage Technologies: Concepts, Promises and Challenges”
  by Florian Holtstiege, Peer Bärmann, Roman Nölle, Martin Winter and Tobias Placke
  Batteries 2018, 4(1), 4; doi: 10.3390/batteries4010004
• “A Critical Review of Lithium-Ion Battery Recycling Processes from a Circular Economy Perspective”
  by Omar Velázquez-Martínez, Johanna Valio, Annukka Santasalo-Aarnio, Markus Reuter and Rodrigo Serna-Guerrero
  Batteries 2019, 5(4), 68; doi: 10.3390/batteries5040068
• “Critical Review of the Use of Reference Electrodes in Li-Ion Batteries: A Diagnostic Perspective”
  by Rinaldo Raccichini, Marco Amores and Gareth Hinds
  Batteries 2019, 5(1), 12; doi: 10.3390/batteries5010012
• “Life Cycle Analysis of Lithium-Ion Batteries for Automotive Applications”
  by Qiang Dai, Jarod C. Kelly, Linda Gaines and Michael Wang
  Batteries 2019, 5(2), 48; doi 10.3390/batteries5020048
• “Design Strategies for High Power vs. High Energy Lithium Ion Cells”
  by Michael J. Lain, James Brandon and Emma Kendrick
  Batteries 2019, 5(4), 64; doi: 10.3390/batteries5040064

Chemosensors:

• “Influence of Humidity on NO₂-Sensing and Selectivity of Spray-CVD Grown ZnO Thin Film above 400 °C”
  by Roussin Lontio Fomekong and Bilge Saruhan
  Chemosensors 2019, 7(3), 42; doi: 10.3390/chemosensors7030042
• “Low Molecular Weight Fluorescent Probes (LMFPs) to Detect the Group 12 Metal Triad”
  by Ashley D. Johnson, Rose M. Curtis and Karl J. Wallace
  Chemosensors 2019, 7(2), 22; doi: 10.3390/chemosensors7020022

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering:

• “Marine Application of Fiber Reinforced Composites: A Review”
  by Felice Rubino, Antonio Nisticò, Fausto Tucci and Pierpaolo Carlone
  Mar. Sci. Eng. 2020, 8(1), 26; doi: 10.3390/jmse8010026
• “Numerical Simulation of Large Wave Heights from Super Typhoon Nepartak (2016) in the Eastern Waters of Taiwan”
  by Shih-Chun Hsiao, Hongey Chen, Han-Lun Wu, Wei-Bo Chen, Chih-Hsin Chang, Wen-Dar Guo, Yung-Ming Chen and Lee-Yaw Lin
  Mar. Sci. Eng. 2020, 8(3), 217; doi: 10.3390/jmse8030217
• “Development of Deterministic Artificial Intelligence for Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUV)”
  by Timothy Sands
  Mar. Sci. Eng. 2020, 8(8), 578; doi: 10.3390/jmse8080578

Lubricants:

• “Solid Lubrication with MoS₂: A Review”
  by Mohammad R. Vazirisereshk, Ashlie Martini, David A. Strubbe and Mehmet Z. Baykara
  Lubricants 2019, 7(7), 57; doi:10.3390/lubricants7070057
• “Investigations of the Friction Losses of Different Engine Concepts. Part 1: A Combined Approach for Applying Subassembly-Resolved Friction Loss Analysis on a Modern Passenger-Car Diesel Engine”
  by Christoph Knauder, Hannes Allmaier, David E. Sander and Theodor Sams
  Lubricants 2019, 7(5), 39; doi: 10.3390/lubricants7050039
• “A Discussion on Present Theories of Rubber Friction, with Particular Reference to Different Possible Choices of Arbitrary Roughness Cutoff Parameters”
  by Andrea Genovese, Flavio Farroni, Antonio Papangelo and Michele Ciavarella
  Lubricants 2019, 7(10), 85; doi: 10.3390/lubricants7100085

Micromachines:

• “4D Printing of Multi-Hydrogels Using Direct Ink Writing in a Supporting Viscous Liquid”
  by Takuya Uchida and Hiroaki Onoe
  Micromachines 2019, 10(7), 433; doi: 10.3390/mi10070433
• “Enhanced Photocatalytic Performance and Mechanism of Au@CaTiO₃ Composites with Au Nanoparticles Assembled on CaTiO₃ Nanocuboids”
  by Yuxiang Yan, Hua Yang, Zao Yi, Ruishan Li and Xiangxian Wang
  Micromachines 2019, 10(4), 254; doi: 10.3390/mi10040254
• “Three-Dimensionally Structured Flexible Fog Harvesting Surfaces Inspired by Namib Desert Beetles”
  by Jun Kyu Park and Seok Kim
  Micromachines 2019, 10(3), 201; doi: 10.3390/mi10030201

Processes:

• “Accelerating Biologics Manufacturing by Modeling or: Is Approval under the QbD and PAT Approaches Demanded by Authorities Acceptable without a Digital-Twin?”
  by Steffen Zobel-Roos, Axel Schmidt, Fabian Mestmäcker, Mourad Mouellef, Maximilian Huter, Lukas Uhlenbrock, Martin Kornecki, Lara Lohmann, Reinhard Ditz and Jochen Strube
  Processes 2019, 7(2), 94; doi: 10.3390/pr7020094
• “Multiscale Agent-Based and Hybrid Modeling of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment”
  by Kerri-Ann Norton, Chang Gong, Samira Jamalian and Aleksander S. Popel
  Processes 2019, 7(1), 37; doi: 10.3390/pr7010037
• “Dynamic Flowsheet Model Development and Sensitivity Analysis of a Continuous Pharmaceutical Tablet Manufacturing Process Using the Wet Granulation Route”
  by Nirupaplava Metta, Michael Ghijs, Elisabeth Schäfer, Ashish Kumar, Philippe Cappuyns, Ivo Van Assche, Ravendra Singh, Rohit Ramachandran, Thomas De Beer, Marianthi Ierapetritou and Ingmar Nopens
  Processes 2019, 7(4), 234; doi: 10.3390/pr7040234

Sensors:

• “A Decentralized Privacy-Preserving Healthcare Blockchain for IoT”
  by Ashutosh Dhar Dwivedi, Gautam Srivastava, Shalini Dhar and Rajani Singh
  Sensors 2019, 19(2), 326; doi: 10.3390/s19020326
• “The Progress of Glucose Monitoring—A Review of Invasive to Minimally and Non-Invasive Techniques, Devices and Sensors”
  by Wilbert Villena Gonzales, Ahmed Toaha Mobashsher and Amin Abbosh
  Sensors 2019, 19(4), 800; doi: 10.3390/s19040800
• “Contact-Based Methods for Measuring Respiratory Rate”
  by Carlo Massaroni, Andrea Nicolò, Daniela Lo Presti, Massimo Sacchetti, Sergio Silvestri and Emiliano Schena
  Sensors 2019, 19(4), 908; doi: 10.3390/s19040908

World Electric Vehicle Journal:

• “Dynamic Wireless Power Transfer Charging Infrastructure for Future EVs: From Experimental Track to Real Circulated Roads Demonstrations”
  by Stéphane Laporte, Gérard Coquery, Virginie Deniau, Alexandre De Bernardinis and Nicolas Hautière
  World Electr. Veh. J. 2019, 10(4), 84; doi: 10.3390/wevj10040084

MDPI’s Young Investigator Awards recognize promising junior researchers, acknowledge their contributions, and enhance communication among scientists. We are proud to present the winners for the year 2021 in the “Engineering” category. The winners were selected by the journals’ editors.

We warmly congratulate the awarded Young Investigators for their outstanding contributions. MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Biosensors:

• Amay J. Bandodkar, North Carolina State University, USA.

ChemEngineering:

• Andrew S. Paluch, Miami University, USA.

Chemosensors:

• Mindy Levine, Ariel University, Israel.

Electronics:

• Amir H. Gandomi, University of Technology Sydney, Australia.

Journal of Marine Science and Engineering:

• Tiago Fazeres-Ferradosa, University of Porto, Portugal.

Machines:

• Chen Lv, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore;
• Ignacio Gonzalez-Prieto, University of Malaga (UMA), Spain;
• Ning Sun, Nankai University, China.

Processes:

• Anton Rassõlkin, Tallinn University of Technology, Estonia.

Sensors:

• Qammer H. Abbasi, Queen Mary University of London, UK;
• Chi Hwan Lee, Purdue University, USA.

We are proud to recognize the winners of MDPI’s 2021 Travel Awards in the “Engineering” category for their outstanding presentations and to present them with the prize.

MDPI journals regularly offer travel awards to encourage talented junior scientists to present their latest research at academic conferences in specific fields, which helps to increase their influence.

The winners mentioned below were carefully selected by the journal editors based on an outline of their research and the work to be presented at an academic conference.

We would like to warmly congratulate the winners of this year’s Travel Awards and wish them the greatest success with their future research endeavors. MDPI will continue to enhance communication among scientists.

Actuators:

• Matthew Wei Ming Tan, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Applied Sciences:

• Márcia de Sousa Oliveira, University of León, Spain;
• Caroline Sarah Taylor, University of Sheffield, UK;
• Raquel Viveiros, NOVA University of Lisbon, Portugal;
• Alfonso González Briones, University of Salamanca, Spain;
• Alen Horvat, University Carlos III Madrid, Spain;
• Marie Švecová, University of Chemistry and Technology, Czech Republic;
• Venanzio Giannella, University of Salerno, Italy;
• Michaël Lobet, University of Namur, Belgium;
• Lam Thi Ngoc Tran, National Research Council, Italy;
• Hanfei Mei, University of South Carolina, USA.

Applied System Innovation:

• Mert Nakip, Polish Academy of Sciences, Poland.

Biosensors:

• Mengdi Bao, Rochester Institute of Technology, USA;

Yichi Su, Stanford University, USA.

Buildings:

• Karthik Panchabikesan, Concordia University, Canada;
• Xiaolei Yuan, Tongji University, China.

Chemosensors:

• Verónica Montes García, Université de Strasbourg & CNRS, France.

Electronics:

• Peng Hang, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore;
• Alfonso González Briones, University of Salamanca, Spain.

Fluids:

• Alberto Zingaro, Politecnico di Milano, Italy;
• Sarah E. Morris, Auburn University, USA.

Infrastructures:

• Angelo Aloisio, University of L’Aquila, Italy;
• André Filipe Castanheira Alves Furtado, University of Porto, Portugal.

Journal of Low Power Electronics and Applications:

• Tommaso Zanotti, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, Italy.

Journal of Manufacturing and Materials Processing:

• Nagalingam Arun Prasanth, Rolls-Royce@NTU Corporate Lab, Singapore.

Machines:

• Muhammad Jamil, Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics (NUAA), China;
• Mariagrazia Tristano, Sheffield Hallam University, UK.

Processes:

• Michele Schlich, University of Cagliari, Italy;
• Álvaro Santana Mayor, University of La Laguna, Spain.

Sensors:

• Eleonora Macchia, Åbo Akademi University, Finland;
• Alfonso Gonzalez Briones, University of Salamanca, Spain;
• Saúl Vallejos Calzada, University of Burgos, Spain;
• Ana Novo, University of Vigo, Spain;
• Yalin Liu, Macau University of Science and Technology, China;
• Marilena Giglio, Politecnico of Bari, Italy;
• Yuzhi Shi, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), Singapore.

In order to acknowledge our reviewers, who so generously dedicate their time to reviewing papers and demonstrate diligence, professionalism, and timeliness when reviewing manuscripts, MDPI journals regularly offer outstanding reviewer awards to scholars who participate in the peer-review process.

We are proud to recognize the winners for the year 2021 in the “Engineering” category for their outstanding contributions among extensive competition by presenting them with an Outstanding Reviewer Award.

We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate all of the winners on their achievement. MDPI will continue to provide support and recognition to the academic community.

Actuators:

• Ryszard Dindorf, Kielce University of Technology, Poland.

Applied Sciences:

• Khaled Giasin, University of Portsmouth, UK;
• Jakub Krzysztof Grabski, University of Technology, Poland;
• Marcos Tostado-Véliz, University of Jaén, Spain;
• Luigi Pugliese, University of Calabria, Italy;
• Francesco Bennardo, University of Catanzaro, Italy;
• Heriberto Perez-Acebo, University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU, Spain.

Biosensors:

• Amir Hatamie, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.

Buildings:

• Francesco Fiorito, Polytechnic University of Bari, Italy;
• Paul G. O’Brien, York University, Canada.

Chemosensors:

• Verónica Montes García, University of Strasbourg, France.

Machines:

• Piotr Gierlak, Rzeszow University of Technology, Poland;
• Sebastian A. Nugroho, University of Michigan, USA;
• Viorel Paleu, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iasi, Romania.

Processes:

• Marcin Dębowski, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Poland;
• Bartłomiej Zieniuk, Warsaw University of Life Sciences, Poland;
• Zbigniew Nadolny, Poznan University of Technology, Poland;
• Attila Egedy, University of Pannonia, Hungary;
• Seok-Ho Rhi, Chungbuk National University, Korea.

Sensors:

• Hojong Choi, Kumoh National Institute of Technology, Korea;
• Li Fu, Hangzhou Dianzi University, China;
• Leonardo De Mello Honorio, Federal University of Juiz De Fora Juiz De Fora, Brazil;
• Mario Versaci, Mediterranea University, Italy;
• Robertas Damasevicius, Kaunas University of Technology, Lithuania.