Guest lecturer speaks at College
December 19, 2004
Dr. Chris Palmstrom, a Chemical Engineering and Materials Science professor at the University of Minnesota, presented a talk on December 15 as part of the Bourns College of Engineering’s Distinguished Lecturer Series. His work is aimed at using the spins of electrons instead of the charge of electrons for future generations of computers. Dr. Palmstrom began his career as a lecturer in Norway and a researcher at Cornell University, and was a member of the technical staff of Bellcore (now Telecordia Technologies) from 1985-1994 before his appointment at University of Minnesota. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and the American Vacuum Society. He is pictured (second from left) prior to the lecture with Yushan Yan, Marc Deshusses and Robert Haddon, faculty members from the College’s Department of Chemical & Environmental Engineering.
Dr. Robert Fontana, a researcher with the San Jose Research Center-Hitachi Global Storage Technologies (GST) in San Jose, presented a lecture titled "Moore's Law and Magnetic Recording Areal Density - A Processing Perspective" on December 9 at Bourns Hall. Dr. Fontana was elected to the National Academy of Engineering in 2002 for his contributions in magnetic device processing. His talk, attended by a capacity crowd of around 70 people, examined the growth of magnetic recording storage density (disk drive capacity) from the perspective of thin film processing. Dr. Fontana's technical activities have concentrated on developing and improving thin-film processing techniques for fabricating magnetic device structures, first at Texas Instruments with magnetic bubbles, then at IBM with thin-film heads, and presently at Hitachi GST with novel flux detecting sensors and nanostructure fabrication with e-beam lithography. Before the lecture, Dr. Fontana (red tie) spoke with members of UCR's Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering -- Professors Alexander Korotkov, David Bocian and Center Director Robert Haddon, pictured left to right.
Electrical Engineering Associate Professor Alexander Balandin received notification last week that the Office of Naval Research is funding his new project, “Phonon-Engineered Nanostructures for Thermoelectric Applications”. He will receive $260,000 over three years. The project aims at increasing thermoelectric power generation efficiency using nanostructured materials. The method of achieving the thermoelectric figure of merit enhancement is based on the idea of acoustic phonon confinement, previously developed theoretically by Professor Balandin. His research involves semiconductor materials and devices with particular emphasis on nanostructures.
Six undergraduate students made presentations on their research projects at the 2nd annual Jim Guthrie Undergraduate Research Symposium on Saturday, November 13th at the College of Engineering - Center for Environmental Research and Technology (CE-CERT). After the presentations, researchers led tours of the research labs (pictured). Attendees included high school students, UCR undergraduate students interested in doing research, and symposium contest judges including Principal Investigators from CE-CERT, Professor Nosang Myung and Director of Undergraduate Research Chris Foster. The presenters were judged on visual display of presentation, verbal display of presentation, and overall presentation. Winners were Marie Donnelly, first place, Ryan Ross, second place, and Corinne Valkenburg, third place.
Eta Epsilon Sigma (EHS), the UCR engineering honor society, has announced the election of 27 new members. EHS was approved to become a chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the national engineering honor society, in October at the society's 99th annual convention. A formal induction ceremony for the UCR chapter will be held on February 12; President Chris Mayhew said that the new members will be initiated as part of the ceremony, which will also include the induction of current and alumni EHS members into Tau Beta Pi. The newly elected member candidates are Sharlene Agbayani, Juan Aranda, Christina Chen, Joseph Chiu, Ryan Coutts, Marie Donnelley, Thomas Fong, Greg Guillen, Martin Gawecki, James Hays, Sukhdeep Heerey, Vincent Hoang, Dung Huynh, Yevgeniny Ladyzhenskiy, Martin Lizarde, Rafael Llana, Shashwati Kasetty, Manwai Ng, Daniel Orkin, Shahin Sabbaghian, Josef Spjut, Shimkiri Syiem, Jia Wei Tam, Min Yen Tsai, Fernando Valenzuela, Jean Wang and Cheuk Yu. In the photo, Dean Matsumoto (l.) and EHS Advisor and Assistant Dean Dennis Rice (r.) flank newly initiated members at a luncheon ceremony in May.
Twenty $2,500 freshman scholarships and twenty $2,500 sophomore/transfer student scholarships were awarded Tuesday, November 9 at a luncheon in the campus Surge Building. Support for the scholarships is from the National Science Foundation's CSEMS (Computer Science, Engineering, and Mathematics Scholarship) Program, the Bourns College of Engineering and the Department of Mathematics at UC Riverside. The program was established for academically talented but economically disadvantaged undergraduates in the fields of computer science, engineering, and mathematics.
The Industry Day awards dinner on October 27 honored both business leaders and winners of the student research poster competition, held earlier in the day. Poster winners were invited to attend the dinner. Graduate division winners were Shripal Ghandi, first place; Sumit Chaudhury, second place; and Sandip Shah, third place. Undergraduate winners were Marie Donnelly and Catherine Vo, first place; Cynthia Carter, second place; and Moses Tataw, third place. Pictured at the dinner are Catherine Vo (center) and Marie Donnelly (right) speaking with Vice Chancellor for Research Charles Louis (left).
Rain did not dampen the enthusiasm of business leaders visiting campus for Bourns College of Engineering’s 6th annual Industry Day Research Review on October 27. The event drew an enthusiastic crowd of industry representatives. Throughout the day they heard diverse presentations on the latest faculty research in the College’s four departments. The keynote speaker was Professor Alexander Levis, former Chief Scientist of the U.S. Air Force. An afternoon poster session allowed the visitors to interact with 47 engineering students, who were on hand to discuss their work. Senior management executives from Unisys, HRL Laboratories, Hewlett Packard and the Mann Institute for Biomedical Engineering presented a panel discussion titled “The Confluence of Academic and Industrial Research” and fielded questions and comments from the audience. The day concluded with dinner and an awards presentation.
The UCR Regional Space Science and Engineering Day drew more than 1,000 participants (Girl Scouts, their family members and UCR families) on Saturday, October 23. The afternoon event featured presentations by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory scientists, Dr. Rosaly Lopes and Jennifer Rocca. Maura Rountree, Deep Impact Mission Educator and Sheri Klug, Head of Mars Education for NASA also interacted with the children throughout the day. Alfred Fink and six volunteers from the Riverside Astronomical Society offered hands on activities and telescopes for viewing solar flares and sun spots. Linda O'Neill, Director of Special Programs, stated the goal was to interest young girls and boys in careers in engineering and science. This was the third visit by JPL, indicative of a continuing partnership between JPL/NASA and the College. More than 50 members of the student chapter of Society of Women Engineers (SWE) and the College's Ambassador Program acted as volunteers for the various activities. Pictured are Girl Scouts negotiating the course of the Rover Races, which allowed them to experience some of the challenges of teleoperating a robotic vehicle on another planet.
More than 50 members of College of Engineering's Society of Women Engineers (SWE) will be volunteering for the UCR Regional Space Science and Engineering Day on Saturday, October 23 from 1 to 5 PM. The event is free and open to the public, but attendees must register online by October 20. Geared toward children aged 7-14 and their families, the day will include presentations by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Riverside Astronomical Society, displays and hands-on activities such as rocket launching. Pictured are SWE members at Girl Scout Day, a successful event that convinced JPL and the Astronomical Society to return to campus so others could have the chance to attend.
Four graduate students won awards at the annual Chemical & Environmental Engineering Department's Graduate Symposium on Friday, October 8. Pictured from left to right are Department Chair Marc Deshusses, Xu Wang, who was chosen 2003-04 Outstanding Teaching Assistant, Joseph Cooke, who won for the Outstanding Presentation, Xueyuan (Helen) Yu, who was the Outstanding Poster winner, and Faculty Graduate Advisor Jianzhong Wu. Mangesh Bangar, who won for Outstanding 1st year Poster, was not present.
At the 99th annual convention of Tau Beta Pi, Christopher Mayhew, president of Epsilon Eta Sigma (EHS) honor society, and Dr. Dennis Rice, Bourns College of Engineering Assistant Dean, learned that the College's society has been approved to join the national organization. Tau Beta Pi is the only engineering honor society representing the entire engineering profession. Epsilon Eta Sigma members began the effort to become a chapter of Tau Beta Pi three years ago. Mayhew reports that the committee was so impressed with the society that the charter was granted with a unanimous vote. The members of EHS are in either the top 1/8 of their Junior class or the top 1/5 of their Senior class, and must exhibit a desire to reach beyond academics to become the best in their field. EHS members are known for not only their academic excellence, but also for their commitment to their school and community. Pictured left to right are Tau Beta Pi national president Dr. Matthew Ohland, Chris Mayhew and Dr. Dennis Rice, EHS advisor.
Mechanical Engineering faculty member Guillermo Aguilar has received a one-year grant from the American Society for Laser Medicine and Surgery, Inc., to further his research on therapeutic parameters that enhance cooling-assisted Port Wine Stain (PWS) laser surgery. He uses a small suction device to dilate tiny blood vessels, whose blood volume is normally too small to be targeted for destruction. Professor Aguilar's research focuses on the experimental and numerical modeling of fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, and thermal processes relevant to biomedical optics and medical laser applications.
Mechanical Engineering Professor Akula Venkatram is Principal Investigator on a research project which received a $250,000 award from the California Institute for Energy and Environment (CIEE). The project, titled "Evaluation of the Near Source Air Quality Impact of Distributed Generation", builds on prior research conducted at UCR. The goal is to develop and apply models to estimate dispersion from urban sources, for assessing the air quality of distributed generation of electricity in California.
Dr. Joseph Norbeck is taking a leave from his position as Director of the College of Engineering-Center for Research & Technology (CE-CERT) to head the UC Riverside Environmental Institute. The institute will act as an umbrella to integrate UCR's interdisciplinary environmental research centers and educational programs related to Southern California's environmental challenges in air, water, energy, biodiversity and natural resources. This effort will also involve a joint degree program in Environmental Management at UCR's Palm Desert Education Center. During Norbeck's absence, Associate Director and Electrical Engineering Professor Matt Barth will be Acting Director of CE-CERT.
Associate Professor of Electrical Engineering Alexander Korotkov has won a $538,000 contract from the Army Research Office (ARO) for the theoretical study of high-fidelity Josephson qubits as possible building blocks of a quantum computer. His previous $443,000 contract from the ARO, also related to quantum computing, ended in July this year. Dr. Korotkov, whose research papers have been cited more thank 1,000 times, developed the theory of shot noise in Coulomb blockade devices, the theory of single-electron tunneling in nanostructures with discrete energy spectrum, and the theory of continuous measurement of a quantum bit.
Chemical and Environmental Engineering graduate student Sunny Wang has been honored twice for his work on microfiltration. At the 2004 North American Membrane Society Annual Meeting in Honolulu, HI, he won First Prize in the Student Paper contest for his oral presentation, "Using Critical Flux and Back-Pulsing to Control MF/UF Membrane Fouling." He also was recently awarded a Certificate of Merit from the Environmental Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society for his oral presentation, "Back-Pulse Optimization for Fouling Free Microfiltration" at the organization's national meeting in Anaheim, CA.
Chemical & Environmental Associate Researcher Dimitrios Morikis has received awards from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for his collaborative work with two other researchers, from Princeton University's Department of Chemical Engineering the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. The NSF award is for "In Silico De Novo Protein Design", concerning the design of proteins tailored for particular medical purposes. The NIH grant is for their project titled "Computer Aided Design of Complement Therapeutics", creating drugs against autoimmune disease.
Mechanical Engineering Professor Cengiz Ozkan has received funding from Bourns, Inc. for his two-year project to develop new devices through hybrid nanotechnology. Current research in nanotechnology has been moving rapidly from observation and discovery to design and fabrication. The company, which manufactures electronic components, interacts with UC Riverside to keep abreast of the latest technology, and learn of discoveries which can lead to commercial applications. Prof. Ozkan (left) is pictured with Bourns, Inc. representatives Wayne Bosze and Dr. Farhad Adib (at right) discussing developments with graduate student Sathyajith Ravindran (seated at computer).
Assistant Professor Mihri Ozkan received a $100,000 check from representatives of Riverside Public Utilities on Tuesday, August 31. At last year's Bourns College of Engineering Industry Day, attendees from the company heard a presentation by Professor Ozkan on applications of nanotechnology in engineering and biology, and were able to access funds set aside for energy research to support her work on the development of next-generation, energy-saving LEDs (light-emitting displays). Dr. Ozkan's device shows 20 times the efficiency and half the turn-on voltage than earlier devices built with the same materials. Pictured left to right are Riverside Public Utilities Principal Programs & Services Representative Michael Bacich, Prof. Ozkan, Public Benefits/Business Relations Manager Atoya Mendez and Programs & Services Representative Jarred Ross.
The research on hybrid inorganic-organic molecular beacons by Professor Mihri Ozkan's Biomedical Sciences and Technology group has been featured on the cover of the current issue of Sensor Letters Journal. Dr. Dimitrios Morikis, associate researcher in the Chemical & Environmental Engineering Department, created the 3-D molecular modeling, pictured at left. He, Dr. Ozkan and graduate students Joong Hyun Kim and Jared Stephens co-authored the research paper published in the journal. The new probes provide multiplexed imaging of specific DNA and RNA sequences. They can be used for the detection of viruses, bacteria or disease markers in humans.
Electrical Engineering Department Chair and Professor Jie Chen received the SICE (Society of Instrumentation and Control Engineers) International Award of the SICE 2004 Annual Meeting in Sapporo, Japan in August, for his paper with former EE student Gang Chen (Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering, UC Riverside, 2002), titled "Some New Thoughts and Findings on Bode Integrals". The Award is given to the best paper presented at the conference, by international participants from outside Japan. Chen's paper is recognized for its fundamental theoretical contribution to Bode integral relations, a subject that studies the fundamental limitations and limits of feedback control systems.
A new instructional Video Network Lab at Bourns College of Engineering has five networked cameras that can be accessed and controlled remotely via the internet. Students now have the ability to manipulate camera angles and capture scenes for experiments in image enhancement, modeling and recognition from their home computers. This system will provide practical experience in video surveillance, pattern recognition, and medical monitoring; such networked systems are used widely in industry. Students enrolled in Advanced Digital Image Processing and Computer Visualization courses learn to filter, enhance and process the images, similar to techniques used to extract information from pictures sent to Earth from the Mars Rover. The courses are being taught by Electrical Engineering Assistant Professor Amit Roy Chowdhury (right). He and Associate Development Engineer Dan Giles (left) designed the lab, and are pictured holding one of the versatile cameras.
Six high school participants in the summer Frontiers in Nanotechnology program at Bourns College of Engineering have remained on campus to do research with the program's professors. The students are working alongside professors and graduate student researchers in several UCR laboratories, trading two weeks of their summer vacation for real-life university research experience. "This has been amazing, a lot more than I expected," said Julie Pang, in the lab of Chemical and Environmental professor Nosang Myung. "Most people think research is independent study, but I found out that there's a lot of interaction. I really feel I fit in here." Julie is working with Dr. Kawai Tam, studying colonies of streptococcus mutants, which cause dental cavities. Pictured at left is Mikhail Itkis, senior development engineer at the Center for Nanoscale Science and Engineering and Robert Abraham Webster (right), a high school junior working in the Center's nanotube manufacturing facility.
Dr. Susan Hackwood, the first Dean of Bourns College of Engineering, testified before the California Performance Review Commission at a public forum held at UC Riverside on Friday, August 13. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger addressed the audience during the opening session. Following lunch in Bourns Hall, commission members heard testimony from the public. Dr. Hackwood is Executive Director of the California Council on Science and Technology (CCST), and is a member of the BCOE Electrical Engineering faculty. CCST's Science and Technology infrastructure reports and Research and Development energy analysis reports are quoted substantially in the California Performance Review. Dr. Hackwood told the panel that CCST is ideally suited for the role of advisor to the Infrastructure Agency. The Review, a 2,500-page report released earlier this month, outlines more than 1,200 reform recommendations.
Luminex Software, Inc., founded and owned by Michael Saunders (pictured), Brian Hawley and Arthur Toslma, has relocated its headquarters near UC Riverside. Saunders and Hawley are alumni of Bourns College of Engineering. Hawley said the company chose the location for a number of reasons, including the proximity to expanding technology resources at the University. Luminex develops products for storing, archiving, distributing and protecting data. Michael Saunders received the Distinguished Alumni Award at last year's Industry Day in November (see photo).
The culmination of four years of undergraduate studies in the Electrical Engineering program is demonstrated at a robotics competition held each year just before final exams. Three autonomous Sumo robots, containing sensor inputs, competed this year in the UCR Student Affairs Lounge before a crowd of more than 60. Project Optimus, a robot created by team members Yu Ta Lin, Wei Liang Feng and Jose Ortiz (pictured left to right), was the clear winner, decisively shoving its opponents out of the competition ring. The robots were built as part of Electrical Engineering's Senior Design course, which gives students teamwork experience that appeals to potential employers. "These projects involve design, budget and project planning, programming, electronic interfacing and mechanics," said Instructional Laboratories Manager Dan Giles.
Incoming engineering freshmen enrolled in UC Riverside's Summer Bridge program are participating in Bourns College of Engineering's Summer Friday Activities at no extra charge. The Summer Bridge program is for students interested in polishing their skills in writing and math prior to their first quarter. Bourns College sponsors the Summer Friday program to help students develop support networks and establish friendships prior to the academic year, and to introduce them to aspects of the university experience beyond their coursework. This year's schedule includes team building exercises (pictured), success strategy workshops, research center tours, projects with faculty, social activities and get-acquainted lunches. The College also offers academic assistance programs during the year, including tutoring, academic success workshops and peer mentoring.
Chemical & Environmental Engineering Associate Professor Yushan Yan's research for Pacific Fuel Cell Corp. has been selected to receive a Small Business Technology Transfer grant from the Department of Energy. These research and development grants fund projects involving small businesses working with nonprofit research institutions. In conventional fuel cells, membranes fail at elevated temperatures; Yan's team is developing a nanomaterial-based composite membrane which can retain high proton conductivity and mechanical strength at elevated temperatures, for enhanced power output.
Several new appointments have been announced at the Marlan and Rosemary Bourns College of Engineering. Mark Matsumoto is serving as Interim Dean, following the departure of former Dean Satish Tripathi to become Provost at the University at Buffalo. Dr. Matsumoto (pictured at left) will serve in this position while the search for a new Dean is in progress. Professor Chinya Ravishankar is Acting Associate Dean for Student Affairs, the title previously held by Dean Matsumoto. Financial and Administrative Manager Lois Bell has retired after twenty years of service with University of California; her duties will be assumed by Patrick Hartney, who has been appointed Assistant Dean for Finance and Administration. Hartney held a similar position at CE-CERT (College of Engineering - Center for Environmental Research and Technology). Professor Marc Deshusses is the new Chair of the Department of Chemical and Environmental Engineering.
Mechanical Engineering Assistant Professor Junlan Wang received the M. Hetenyi Award from the Society for Experimental Mechanics (SEM) at their International Congress at Costa Mesa in June. Named for one of four founders of SEM, the award is given for the best research paper published in the international journal Experimental Mechanics. Dr. Wang's paper was titled, "A parametric study of laser induced thin film spallation." Co-authors were Prof. Nancy Sottos and Prof. Richard Weaver of the University of Illinois. Dr. Wang (l.) is pictured on the left with Dr. Sottos (r.) at the awards luncheon. Dr. Wang's research is in the general areas of mechanics and materials with a special interest in experimental mechanics, nano and micromechanics of materials.