Risa Robinson Headshot

Risa Robinson

Gleason Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering
Program Director, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Ph.D.

585-475-6445
Office Location

Risa Robinson

Gleason Professor

Department of Mechanical Engineering
Kate Gleason College of Engineering
Program Director, Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Ph.D.

Education

BS, MS, Rochester Institute of Technology; Ph.D., State University of New York at Buffalo

Bio

Dr. Robinson is an RIT alumna, having graduated with her BS degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MS in Imaging Science. She earned her PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Buffalo in 1999, joined the tenure-track faculty in the Kate Gleason College in 2000 as an Assistant Professor, and was promoted to full Professor in 2012. Dr. Robinson has held several leadership positions in recent years, including a three-year appointment as Associate Department Head of the Mechanical Engineering Department and Chair of the department’s Curriculum and Assessment Committee. She recently served as co-Chair of the Institutional Academic Portfolio Blueprint Task Force. She is currently involved in innovative curricular development for first-year students, and was previously sponsored by the National Science Foundation to incorporate industry standard data acquisition techniques into the freshmen year. Through these educational and leadership activities, Dr. Robinson has played an integral role in cultivating and disseminating new models for curriculum development and assessment strategies within her department and the college, and in defining a strategic map for future academic programming for the university.

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585-475-6445

Areas of Expertise

Select Scholarship

Journal Paper
Saleh, Q.M, E.C. Hensel, and R.J. Robinson. "Method for Quantifying Variation in the Resistance of Electronic Cigarette Coils." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17. 21 (2020): 7779. Web.
Robinson, Risa J., et al. "Characterization and Validation of Second Generation wPUM™ Topography Monitors." Nicotine Tob Res.. (2020): -. Web.
Robinson, Risa J., et al. "A Comparison Between Cigarette Topography from a One-Week Natural Environment Study to FTC/ISO, Health Canada, and Massachusetts Department of Public Health Puff Profile Standards." Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health 17. 10 (2020): 3444. Web.
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Peer Reviewed/Juried Poster Presentation or Conference Paper
Hensel, E.C., et al. ", Understanding the Association Between Pod-Style Electronic Cigarette Aerosol Emissions and User Topography Behavior." Proceedings of the SRNT 2020 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, Mar 2020. Ed. -. New Orleans, LA: n.p..
Robinson, R.J., et al. "Characterization and Validation of Generation 2 wPUM™ Topography Monitors." Proceedings of the SRNT 2020 Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA, Mar 2020. Ed. -. New Orleans, LA: n.p..
Eddingsaas, N.C., et al. "Effect of Puff Flowrate and Puff Duration on the Emission of Particulate Matter, Nicotine, and Aldehydes from Narghil Waterpipes." Proceedings of the 2019 Tobacco Regulatory Science Meeting. Ed. -. Bethesda, MD: n.p..
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Invited Article/Publication
Robinson, Risa. "2. How a Person Vapes, not Just what a Person Vapes, Could also Play a Big Role in Vaping Harm." The Conversation. (2019). Web.
Invited Keynote/Presentation
Robinson, R. J. "Understanding the Quantitative Relationship Between E-cigarette Use Behavior and Exposure." “Updates and Controversies Related to Inhaled Aerosols". International Society for Aerosols in Medicine, 2018 Symposium. San Diego, CA. 18 May 2018. Guest Lecture.
Robinson, R., et al. "4.What’s Inhaled by Vaping? Dosimetry, Deposition, Distribution, and Topography: Pulmonary Physiological and Clinical Effects." E-Cigarette Vaping: Preclinical and Clinical Pulmonary Health. American Thoracic Society. San Diego, CA. 15 May 2016. Conference Presentation.
Robinson, Risa, et al. "Mechanical Models for Determining Electronic Cigarette Exposure." Electronic Cigarettes and the Public Health: A Public Workshop, US FDA Center for Tobacco Products Department of Health and Human Services. FDA. Washington, DC. 10 Dec. 2014. Conference Presentation.
Published Conference Proceedings
Robinson, R., et al. "Comparison of Methods For the Capture of E-Cigarette Emissions For the Determination of Constituents Using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry." Proceedings of the 253rd National Meeting of the American Chemical Society. Ed. R. Robinson. San Francisco, CA: ACS, 2017. Print.
Robinson, R., et al. ", Computational Assessment of Airflow Sensitivity to Healthy and Diseased Lung Conditions." Proceedings of the Biomedical Engr Society Annual Meeting. Ed. R. Robinson. Phoenix, AZ: BMES, 2017. Print.
Robinson, R. and Edward Hensel. "Interdisciplinary Research Methods: Enhancing Professional Skills of Engineering,." Proceedings of the 15th LACCEI International Multi-Conference for Engineering, Education, and Technology. Ed. R. Robinson. Boca Raton, FL: LACCEI, 2017. Print.
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Invited Paper
Lerner, C., et al. "Mitochondrial Stress and Inflammation Following Exposure to Electronic Cigarette Aerosols." 22nd Annual Conference of the Society for Research on Nicotine & Tobacco. (2016). Print.
Book Chapter
Harding, Ted, Emily Berg, and Risa Robinson. "3D Reconstruction of an Acinus for Numerical and Experimental Studies." 3D Reconstruction: Methods, Applications and Challenges. Ed. Jim Ashworth and Kenneth Brasher. Hauppauge, NY: Nova Science Publishers, Inc., 2013. 10. Print.

Currently Teaching

ENGR-701
3 Credits
This course emphasizes collaboration in modern research environment and consists of five modules. Students will introduced to the concepts of inter-disciplinary and trans-disciplinary research conducted from both a scientific and an engineering perspective. Students will learn how to write a dissertation proposal, statement of work, timeline for their program of study and the elements of an effective literature review. Students will develop skills related to reviewing and annotating technical papers, conducting a literature search and proper citation. Students will demonstrate an understanding of (a) ethics as it relates to the responsible conduct of research, (b) ethical responsibility in the context of the engineering professions, (c) ethics as it relates to authorship and plagiarism, (d) basic criteria for ethical decision making and (e) identify professional standards and code of ethics relevant to their discipline. Students demonstrate an ability to identify and explain the potential benefits of their research discoveries to a range of stakeholders, including policy makers and the general public.
MECE-499
0 Credits
Nominally three months of full-time, paid employment in the mechanical engineering field.
MECE-599
1 - 4 Credits
An independent student project course encompassing one of (a) an analytical investigation, (b) an experimental investigation or (c) a major design project. All independent student projects require a formal written report.
MECE-799
1 - 3 Credits
This course is used by students who plan to study a topic on an independent study basis. The student must obtain the permission of the appropriate faculty member before registering for the course.