University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials

05/19/2026

Calling all Blue Hengineers! 💙🐔

UD Center For Composite Materials is excited to join the University of Delaware UD College of Engineering’s annual Alumni & Friends Lawn Party!

Reconnect with fellow Hengineers, classmates, faculty, and industry friends while enjoying food, drinks, music, lawn games, and free College of Engineering swag on the front lawn of Spencer Laboratory.

📅 Friday, May 29
⏰ 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.
📍 Spencer Laboratory Front Lawn

Whether you’re a CCM alum, collaborator, student, or friend of the composites community, we’d love to see you there.

Please register for planning purposes.
Link: https://brnw.ch/21x2DvO

Calling all ! The College of Engineering invites alumni, students, faculty, staff and friends from every department to the Alumni & Friends Lawn Party on the front lawn of Spencer Laboratory. Formerly known as the MechE Family Cookout, this reimagined tradition now welcomes the full engin...

05/07/2026

Throwback to engineering in everyday life.

CCM’s founding director, Jack R. Vinson, was a co-inventor on a snap-off blade knife design focused on improving user safety. It’s the kind of tool many of us have used, made better through careful engineering and attention to detail.

While this innovation may seem simple, it reflects a broader philosophy that guided his career: solving real-world problems and making things work better for people.

That same philosophy continues to inspire CCM today - and is carried forward through efforts like the Dr. Jack Vinson Scholarship and the new Jack R. Vinson Leadership Award.

Sometimes, the smallest innovations tell the biggest stories.

Link to patent: https://brnw.ch/21x2hvm
Make a gift to continue his impact: https://brnw.ch/21x2hvl

04/30/2026

The UD Center For Composite Materials is advancing next-generation composite technologies, and PhD Student Michael Vo is contributing to this effort through his research on sustainable materials.

Michael’s work focuses on improving natural fiber composites by modifying the surface of fibers to enhance their performance. By studying how these treatments affect fiber properties and their interaction with surrounding materials, he aims to create stronger, more reliable, and more sustainable composite systems.

His research is part of an NSF EPSCoR project that brings together collaborators across the University of Delaware, partner universities, and industry to develop high-performance natural fiber composites. This work helps advance the connection between agriculture, material properties, and composite performance, supporting more sustainable solutions for future applications.

Michael’s research exemplifies how CCM is driving innovation at the intersection of sustainability and advanced materials.

Learn more: https://brnw.ch/21x2532

04/27/2026

At the University of Delaware Center for Composite Materials (UD-CCM), education is our most vital contribution to the global scientific community. We believe that recognizing student excellence is more than a tradition—it is a celebration of the minds currently driving the next generation of technological breakthroughs. As our students push the boundaries of composites, their inquiry fuels innovation far beyond our halls. We are proud to formally announce the recipients of the 2026 Achievement in Composite Excellence (ACE) Awards, recognizing outstanding contributions across research, innovation, leadership and service.

We invite you to join us in celebrating these exceptional achievements on Friday, May 1, at 11:00 AM in the Composite Manufacturing Science Lab, room 106, where we will hone the following awardees.

04/23/2026

Celebrating the Legacy of DASEF

For over 34 years, our collaboration with the DELAWARE AEROSPACE EDUCATION FOUNDATION (DASEF) has introduced K-12 to the possibilities of STEM through hands-on learning and real-world challenges.

Each summer, cadets step into CCM to take on the Space Beam Challenge—designing, building, and testing their own structures—while also getting an inside look at composites research through guided facility tours.

This program has cultivated curiosity and innovation for decades and we’re excited to continue this partnership in 2026, welcoming a new group of future innovators.

Wednesday, July 8: Evening CCM tour and Space Beam Challenge introduction

Thursday, July 9: Morning Space Beam construction

Thursday, July 9: Evening Space Beam break videos and explanations

Experiences like these don’t just teach engineering—they spark curiosity, creativity, and future careers.

04/13/2026

UD Center For Composite Materials proudly celebrates Dr. Tania Lavaggi on the successful defense of her doctoral dissertation!

Her research, “Permeability of Carbon-Carbon Composites for the Improvement of Its Densification Process,” advances our understanding of transport properties during polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP). By integrating experimental work, microstructure-informed simulations, and predictive modeling, her work helps enable more efficient and optimized composite manufacturing of carbon-carbon composites.

A special thank you to her committee:
Dr. Suresh Advani (Chair), Dr. John Gillespie, Dr. Valery Roy, and Dr. Mark Mirotznik

We’re excited to see the continued impact of her work in advanced composites. Wishing her all the best in this next chapter!

04/08/2026

The Center for Composite Materials (CCM) is pleased to highlight Uday Kiran Balaga's recent presentation at SPE ANTEC 2026 in Pittsburgh, PA.

Under the guidance of Prof. Suresh Advani, Uday’s research is tackling one of the most persistent hurdles in composite 3D printing: interlayer delamination. The presentation, titled “Z-Penetration Deposition Approach to Strengthen Interlayers in Fiber-Reinforced Additive Manufacturing,” introduces a novel strategy to enhance interfacial properties. This approach enables tailored fiber orientation, resulting in improved structural integrity and overall part performance.

The work generated meaningful technical discussions with industry representatives, including Autodesk Australia and 3D printing industries from Canada.

These interactions underscore CCM’s role in advancing innovative, industry-relevant solutions that bridge fundamental research and real-world manufacturing applications.

04/06/2026

Career Milestone: Nuwan Dewapriya Appointed Associate Scientist at CCM

We are proud to announce the promotion of Nuwan Dewapriya to Associate Scientist at the Center for Composite Materials. This advancement is a testament to Nuwan’s relentless pursuit of excellence and his transformative contributions to our research portfolio.

In a move that further strengthens our interdisciplinary ties, Nuwan has also been granted a secondary appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering. This dual role highlights his unique ability to bridge fundamental engineering principles with cutting-edge composite applications.

Nuwan’s leadership continues to drive the mission of CCM forward, and we look forward to his continued impact on the future of materials science.

Join us in congratulating Nuwan on this career milestone! 👏

03/31/2026

🎓 Doctoral Dissertation Defense - You’re Invited!

Join us at the UD Center For Composite Materials for an upcoming Ph.D. defense from Tania Lavaggi

📅 Date: April 7, 2026
🕘 Time: 9:00 AM
📍 Location: CCM 106
💻 Zoom: https://brnw.ch/21x1cE2

Dissertation Title:
Permeability of Carbon-Carbon Composites for the Improvement of Its Densification Process

Tania’s research explores how transport properties evolve during the fabrication of carbon–carbon composites, with a focus on improving the efficiency of polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP). By combining experimental work, microstructure-informed simulations, and predictive modeling, this work provides new insights into permeability development and its role in optimizing composite processing.

Committee Chair: Dr. Suresh Advani
Committee Members: Dr. John W. Gillespie Jr., Dr. Valery Roy, Dr. Mark Mirotznik

This is a great opportunity to learn about cutting-edge advancements in composite materials and support one of our researchers. We hope to see you there!

03/30/2026

DMC 2025 is happening now in Orlando!

Our team is at booth #911 at the Defense Manufacturing Conference (DMC), March 30 – April 2 at Caribe Royale Orlando.

Here’s Dr. Joseph Deitzel Dr. Shridhar Yarlagadda from UD-CCM, ready to share our latest research, collaborative opportunities, and how we’re shaping the future of composites and materials engineering.

Stop by to connect with us!