UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Amir Eskanlou, a graduate student in the John and Willie Leone Family Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering (EME), has been invited to participate in the Platform for the Accelerated Realization, Analysis, and Discovery of Interface Materials (PARADIM) summer school at Cornell University. Eskanlou plans to further his investigations on coal dust with the goal of reducing the negative health impacts during the National Science Foundation-sponsored program.
"I was so excited and so happy when I received the letter because it is exactly what I needed," Eskanlou said. "This is such a unique opportunity to meet material scientists from other highly ranked institutions, collaborate and get hands-on experience with the computational tools."
Eskanlou's research is focused on the formation of harmful hydroxyl radicals on the ultra-fine particles often found in mining or construction sites such as quartz, pyrite, coal and diesel particulate matter. He said many researchers believe hydroxyl radicals, highly reactive molecules that damage biological molecules, including those present in lung tissue, are responsible for the steady increase in respiratory diseases among miners.
According to Eskanlou, studying the many environments and types of particles proves a unique challenge. Utilizing models allows one to easily investigate dust particulates in different compositions and solutions such as tap water, the process water found in mines and even simulated lung fluids to develop a deeper understanding. Models can also be used to simulate the interaction between those targeted reagents with these particles to see which compound or conditions will successfully reduce or inhibit the production of hydroxyl radicals.
In the PARADIM summer school, Eskanlou said he plans to discover some of the latest modeling practices and technologies in sessions designed to develop creative and productive collaborations among the leading theorists and experts.
"We have people, loved ones, who have long careers in mining and construction, or simply live in high traffic, urban areas that suffer from these dust particles and the diseases that come from them," Eskanlou said. "Every day I look for ways to push my research further because I'm working on something that is directly related to saving their lives. PARADIM will open a new branch of science to me that I can use to solve this problem."
Eskanlou's drive to develop interdisciplinary knowledge led to what he called a formative discussion with Nelson Dzade, assistant professor in EME, whose research focuses on computational materials science and computational mineralogy. Realizing the potential of bringing advanced materials modeling into the mining and processing fields, Eskanlou immediately pursued a computational materials science minor from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Penn State and set his sights on attending the PARADIM program.
The freedom to evolve and continuously shape his path has been essential to Eskanlou' s research. He was interested in building things, even at an early age, so he said he always assumed he would pursue a career in engineering. A discussion with his uncle eventually put mining on his radar, while an early experience with a "hero" professor cemented his passion for mineral processing. At Penn State, the opportunity to combine his passion and interests allowed him to tackle the problem of hydroxyl radicals from new perspectives.
"I had zero idea about mining," Eskanlou said. "But my uncle, who was a coal miner, told me it was a secure job with problems I could help solve. I am so grateful for the tremendous support from Penn State faculty, including my adviser, Barbara Arnold, as I can work towards a solution to improve safety. Every time I come in with a new request, she just [tells] me, 'I support you.'"
Arnold, professor of practice in mining engineering, said she has been happy to see his growth and accommodate his interest in computational materials science.
"When we first discussed his research project, I went through the specifics but told him he needed to come up with his own twist to this as a Ph.D. candidate," Arnold said. "He had the idea to do atomistic modeling work, which is a big bonus to understanding the surface chemistry of respirable dust and evaluating the more complicated coal surface. Watching him work on this has been a pleasure, and the PARADIM program is receiving a tremendous, energetic mind."
Eskanlou earned two master's degrees in mineral processing, one from West Virginia University in 2021 and another from Tarbiat Modares University in Iran in 2016. He also earned a bachelor's in mining engineering from Bahonar University in Iran in 2013.