![\"\"](\"http:\/\/d45h139.public.uconn.edu\/sites\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/12\/palumbo2.jpg\" "\\"palumbo2\\"")
<\/a> at the Storrs campus, and the experience sparked his affinity for engineering and UConn. \u00a0\u201cIt really exposed me to devoted faculty and students, excited me about engineering, and set me on a path toward a career in engineering,\u201d he said.<\/p>\nPalumbo, who previously received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in materials science and engineering at UConn, plans to use his education to teach at the college level and hopes to \u201csomeday relay the wonders and power of engineering to future students.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shifting from the interdisciplinary work of his M.S. degree, which focused on the interactions between nano-scale forces and structures with living cells, Palumbo\u2019s current thesis research is on studying the combined blast and fire resistance for construction steel used in various infrastructures, including buildings, bridges, tunnels, and other structures.\u00a0 The work directly relates to the collapse of the World Trade Center towers in 2001. \u201cThe collapse was found to be a result of prolonged exposure to high temperatures after the blasts, degrading the structural properties of the steel in the buildings,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Since the attack, new materials and designs are being developed in an effort to reduce such damage in the future. Palumbo\u2019s research specifically focuses on how the microstructure of construction steel, especially the type of steel used in the new World Trade Center building, is affected by exposure to shock waves and subsequent high temperatures.<\/p>\n
Originally from Madison, CT, Palumbo attributes his engineering success to his high school chemistry teacher, who had influenced him toward the field at an early age. \u201cShe was the one who recommended that I look into UConn\u2019s Explore Engineering (E2) program, and that\u2019s really what set things in motion,\u201d he said.\u00a0 As one who benefitted from exposure to engineering at a relatively young age, Palumbo appreciates the value of outreach and is now a regular volunteer for the E2 program.<\/p>\n
As for his continued affiliation with UConn, Palumbo attributes it, yet again, to his academic mentor. \u201cMy advisor, Dr. Bryan Huey<\/a>, played a big role in my staying here,\u201d he said. \u201c[Dr. Huey] advised me through my independent study as an undergraduate as well as for my M.S., and he recommended that I pursue a Ph.D. with UConn as well.\u201d<\/p>\n