State of the Cockrell School
2008

WE MUST RECRUIT, NURTURE AND RETAIN OUTSTANDING STUDENTS.

UNDERGRADUATE RECRUITING AND RETENTION

The School partnered with Chevron Phillips Chemical, EDS, ExxonMobil, National Instruments, and Lockheed Martin to host prospective students and parents at Explore Engineering sessions designed to recruit students with outstanding academic accomplishments. These events offer students a chance to interact with staff and current students in a personal way. Along with additional communication throughout the year, many of the students also receive scholarship offers from the School recognizing their academic merit and leadership accomplishments. In 1996 the number of degree seeking students enrolled in the Cockrell School of Engineering was 4,071. EE and ME were growing and in 2001 the enrollment had grown to 4738. Enrollment took a jump in 2002 to 5167 when we added Biomedical Engineering as a major. Our enrollment over the past four years has been rather constant at just over 5000 degree seeking undergraduates. The average of women and underrepresented minorities has remained relatively constant over the last six years at about 22% women and 17% minorities.

By any measure, the quality of students enrolling in the Cockrell School of Engineering has improved over the past twelve years. The number of students with an SAT score of 1400+ has increased from 170 in 1996 to 380 in 2007. The average SAT of the first year class has increased from 1280 in 1996 to 1320 in 2007. The number of credit hours from Advanced Placement or other credit by exams as well as credit from courses completed in parallel study programs has also increased. As a result, more than 60% of the first year students in Engineering begin in a math

course beyond Calculus 1 (M 408C). The average student in the Engineering Honors Program enters UT Austin with an average SAT of 1479 and a high school class rank in the top 4%. The average residence GPA of an engineering graduate has increased from 3.13 in 1996 to 3.25 in 2007. In 1996 the Cockrell School of Engineering awarded 792 BS in engineering degrees with 16.8% awarded to women and 15.9% to minorities. In May 2006 the first class of BME students began to graduate. With these and the increased number of 1400+ students we expect to award more than 940 BS in engineering degrees this year. About 22% will be awarded to woman and about 15% to minorities. The 6 year graduation rate in 1996 was 40%. The rate for women was 35.4% and 25.5% for minorities. These are engineering students who entered UT Austin in fall 1991 and had earned an engineering degree by fall 1997. By fall 2002 the 6 year graduation rate had increased to 60% for the School, 49% for women, and 34% for minorities. Our latest six year graduation rate was 50% for the School, 51.6% for women and 34% for minorities. The four year graduation rate has also increased, from 20% in 1996 to 30% in 2007. The increase in the graduation rate can be attributed in part to the increased number of 1400+ students as well as new tutoring programs for engineering students in Jester and Kinsolving dormitories, the introduction of the FIG Program, and the activities of the EOE and WEP programs.

INTERNATIONAL ENGINEERING EDUCATION

The Cockrell School of Engineering is committed to preparing students for the global marketplace by providing international educational opportunities. Through the direction of Dr. Janet Ellzey, Assistant Dean for International Engineering Education (IEE), the opportunities for study abroad have grown significantly in the last few years. In 2004, Dr. Ellzey led a summer program with nine students in Grenoble France. Today, IEE has expanded to include seven full semester exchange programs, six faculty-led summer and Maymester programs of 4 to 6 weeks in length, and an active Engineers Without Borders program where students propose and implement an engineering project in developing countries. Study abroad locations currently include France, Mexico, Singapore, Australia, England, Sweden, the Netherlands, Cameroon and Argentina. Approximately 132 engineering students will study abroad in the 2007-08 academic year. The School goal is to send 200 students abroad annually by 2010. In 2007 IEE implemented a unique semester Certificate in Sustainable and Renewable Energy Technology at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden where mechanical engineering students take graduate level courses in this exciting new field. IEE is currently developing a semester exchange with a university in Korea which includes a paid summer internship at a prominent Korean company, a summer exchange program with an engineering university in Turkey and a double degree with the university in Toulouse, France which would allow UT engineering students to earn degrees from both universities while becoming fluent in French.

UNDERGRADUATE SCHOLARSHIPS

Engineering students continue to benefit from the generosity of the Cockrell School’s alumni, friends and corporate supporters, helping to offset tuition increases. The distribution of undergraduate scholarships has nearly doubled in the past 12 years, increasing from $1.5 million in 1996 to $2.9 million in 2008. The Cockrell School’s endowed scholarships and fellowships

increased with an additional 122 endowments created since 1996. Increasing on average over $1 million per year for the past 12 years, the market value of the endowed scholarships and fellowships now totals over $129 million. Engineering undergraduate students received over $8.1 million in scholarships from the Cockrell School, the University and The Texas Ex-Students Association in 2007-2008.

GRADUATE ENROLLMENT

Graduate enrollment currently stands at 2,100 (1,029 MS and 1,071 PhD students), which is about 18.4 percent of the University’s total graduate enrollment. Women make up 18.8 percent of our graduate students and US students make up 50.8 percent. Competition from industry and peer institutions continues to increase the importance of offering students attractive financial packages. The Cockrell, Engineering Doctoral, MCD and Thrust 2000 Endowed Fellowships play a vital role in our ability to recruit the best students to our graduate programs. PhD students offered multi-year fellowships now receive $9,000 per year in addition to their stipend, compared with only $5,000 per year in 1996. Over the past 12 years, the annual number of Thrust 2000 Fellowship recipients more than doubled, growing from 61 to 157. Engineering graduate students received over $3.7 million in fellowships from School and University resources in 2007-2008.

ECAC

The Engineering Career Assistance Center (ECAC) and our engineering students have had a successful recruiting year. Despite signs of economic downturn, employers were interested in hiring UT engineering students during the 2007-2008 academic year. ECAC registered more than 4,000 students this year and hosted more than 450 employer recruiting visits for full-time, co-op and intern positions. The Co-op Program continues to help students gain experience working with employers for 8 to 12 months while earning academic credit. The Externship Program gave 298 students (a 4.5% increase over last year) the opportunity to visit an employer site for a day to learn more about what engineers do in industry. The Student Engineering Council hosted its 29th career fair, the Engineering Expo, in the fall, and ECAC hosted its 10th Spring Engineering Expo. Available spaces in both fairs were filled with employers seeking students for full-time employment as well as co-op and intern positions. Students who graduated during the 2006-2007 academic year were accommodated at a rate of 99%, with 16% of them choosing to go to graduate, law, or medical school. In addition to this year’s accomplishments, ECAC has made a number of advances over the past 12 years, especially in use of technology and programs:

• ECAC created an online system 11 years ago, allowing students to create résumés through an online template and allowing employers to advertise positions and search résumés through an online database. ECAC’s home-grown online system has rivaled commercial products in its ability to serve students and employers.
• ECAC added online services and resources including two job boards (ECAC job board and AccessUT for the university), online workshops, and podcasts.
• ECAC and the Co-op Office merged in 1999 with both services moving to the career center.
• The Co-op Program created a two-semester co-op experience as an option to the traditional three-semester co-op. Currently, two-thirds of co-op students choose the two-semester option.
• ECAC created the Externship Program in 1998 to educate undergraduate engineering students about careers by having them visit employer sites. Since its inception, the program has benefited more than 2,000 engineering students.
• ECAC added a job resource library housed in the McKinney Engineering Library with 60 books (and growing) available on job search and industry profiles.

STUDENT RECOGNITION

Our student organizations and students continue to receive honors and awards. Charlotte Bryan, Erin Miller, Jeffrey Mikeska and Paul Wedholm, members of the student chapter of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, placed 1st in the regional Rube Goldberg Competition and placed 5th in the national competition. Philip Barcelon, aerospace engineering sophomore, received a SMART (Science, Mathematics, and Research for Transformation Program) Scholarship from the American Society for Engineering Education. Stephanie Beckett, aerospace engineering senior, was awarded a Texas Exes Senior Scholars, 2008 Student Leadership Award. Kaitlin Gushwa, aerospace engineering senior, received 1st Place in the Cockrell School’s 2008 Braden Engineering-Communications contest. Kristin John, aerospace engineering senior, was recognized by the University Panhellenic Council for achieving a 4.0 cumulative GPA in the fall of 2007. Kristin also received the Wings over Houston Air Show Scholarship and the AIAA Spirit of Apollo Scholarship. Baltej Ludher, chemical engineering senior, received the $20,000 University Co-op George H. Mitchell grand prize award for his research paper "Novel Methods for Producing Micron and Sub-micron Pharmaceutical Particles for Pulmonary and Oral Delivery." Jeffrey Mikeska, aerospace engineering senior, received the Mike Wacker Award by the Texas Parents Association. Nimisha Mittal, aerospace engineering senior, received the University Endowed Presidential Scholarship. Johnny Sangree, aerospace engineering senior, received the University Presidential Scholarship. Patricia Strong, aerospace engineering senior, received the Cockrell School of Engineering Outstanding Scholar/Leader Award.

WE MUST RECRUIT, NURTURE AND RETAIN OUTSTANDING FACULTY.

We continue to recruit truly outstanding faculty. In AY2007-2008, departments welcomed 14 new faculty who were selected from the 59 candidates interviewed; of the 20 offers made, 65% were accepted. Currently, departments are recruiting to fill 26 positions. Since 1996, 136 faculty have been hired, including 22 women. The Engineering Faculty Women’s Organization (EFWO) hosts lunch for each female faculty candidate to aid in the recruitment of outstanding female faculty.

In addition to recruiting aggressively the most promising faculty candidates, we work to help these new colleagues succeed by providing several programs to help them start their academic careers successfully. All new assistant professors have senior faculty mentors assigned to them. These new faculty are invited to participate in a comprehensive New Faculty Orientation, designed specifically for engineering faculty. In this four-day program just before the fall semester, faculty learn ways to enhance their teaching and to initiate their research programs. Throughout the year, New Faculty Seminars are offered monthly to address topics such as generating and using student feedback, writing grant proposals and others.

The Cockrell School coordinates the new faculty efforts along with other key initiatives designed to support faculty, such as the award winning Faculty Innovation Center (FIC). The FIC works with new and experienced engineering faculty to modify their design of instruction to maximize learning outcomes, further integrate the use of project-based teaching, employ technology, and continually improve campus-based teaching and learning. The faculty can also take advantage of the semiannual Teaching Effectiveness Seminars and the monthly, lunchtime Faculty Innovation Seminars. In the near future, we plan to develop a program for future faculty, i.e., our doctoral students who wish to pursue an academic career. Our assistant and associate professors go through third year reviews, designed to provide a “check point” on their progress toward promotion. This year, 20 of our young faculty went through these reviews. Because of careful hiring of highly talented faculty and efforts to help them succeed, the Cockrell School of Engineering has been very successful in faculty promotions. Over the past 12 years, 62 assistant professors have gone through the promotion process. Of these, 57 were promoted, 3 resigned before promotion, and 2 were denied promotion. This is an outstanding record of success. This year, 14 faculty were promoted to associate professor:

• Rui Huang (ASE)
• Chad Landis (ASE)
• Stanislav Emelianov (BME)
• Mia Markey (BME)
• Maria Juenger (CAEE)
• Jorge Prozzi (CAEE)
• Jeffrey Siegel (CAEE)
• Jeffrey Andrews (ECE)
• Ranjit Gharpurey (ECE)
• Michael Orshansky (ECE)
• David Pan (ECE)
• Paulo Ferreira (ME)
• Erhan Kutanoglu (ME)
• Sanjay Srinivasan (PGE)

Two faculty were promoted to full professor:

• Russell Johns (PGE)
• Carlos Torres-Verdin (PGE)

Two were promoted to Distinguished Senior Lecturer:

• R. Bruce Eldridge (ChE)
• Hillary Hart (CAEE)

Post-tenure reviews for senior faculty have been carried out this year for the tenth time. These reviews, scheduled at six-year intervals, provide opportunities for faculty to think through their career development with the assistance of other faculty and their department chair.

FACULTY RECOGNITION

Our faculty continue to win awards and receive honors, bringing added distinction to the Cockrell School of Engineering. Awards and honors won by our faculty, staff and students in the past year include:

INTERNATIONAL

Dr. Jacob Abraham, professor in electrical engineering, and two of his graduate students, Hongjoong Shin and Byoungho Kim received the Best Paper Award at the 24th IEEE VLSI Test Symposium. Dr. J. K. Aggarwal, professor in electrical and computer engineering, received the 2007 Okawa Prize, awarded each year by the Okawa Foundation for Information and Telecommunication of Japan. Dr. Ivo Babuska, professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, received the Honorary Title from Czech Technical University last spring. Dr. Lisa Brannon-Peppas, research professor of biomedical engineering, was named a Fellow of Biomaterials Science and Engineering by the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering for her pioneering work on degradable polymers and drug delivery products, especially for cancer treatment. Dr. Thomas Edgar, professor in the department of chemical engineering, was elected a Fellow of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC) for Outstanding Contributions to the Fields of Mathematical Modeling, Optimization and Automatic Control of Chemical and Microelectronics Processes and Professional Leadership. Dr. Thomas Hughes, professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, was chosen to receive an honorary doctorate in Civil Engineering from the University of Padau, Italy last spring. He was also elected Foreign Member of the Italian Academy Istituto Lombardo, Accademia di Scienze e Lettere in Mathematics, fall 2007. In April 2008, Dr. Hughes received the Grand Prize from the Japan Society for Computational Engineering and Science. Dr. Hans Mark, professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, was honored by the International Space Foundation with the 2008 General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award. Dr. Brian Korgel, associate professor in chemical engineering, has been named a Fulbright Scholar in Spain for the 2007-2008 school year. Dr. Alexis Kwasinski, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering, received the Best Technical Paper award at the 29th International Telecommunications Energy Conference (INTELEC) for the paper entitled “Telecom Power Planning for Natural and Man-Made Disasters.” Dr. William O'Brien, civil, architectural and environmental engineering assistant professor, and his former graduate student Maj. March Distefano, received a FIATECH Celebration of Engineering and Technology Innovation (CETI) Award. Dr. J. Tinsley Oden, professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, was awarded the O.C. Zienkiewicz Medal by the Polish Association for Computational Mechanics (PACM). Dr. Michael Orshansky, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering, was named Outstanding New Faculty by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Dr. Gary Pope, professor in the department of petroleum and geosystems engineering, has been selected to receive the AIME Environmental Conservation Distinguished Service Award for 2008. Dr. Ted Rappaport, professor in electrical and computer engineering, was elected to the IEEE Communications Society Board of Governors. Dr. Carlos Torres-Verdin, associate professor in petroleum and geosystems engineering, and his research group received the Best Paper Award at the annual Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts Meeting. Dr. Torres-Verdin’s research group was also recognized at the Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts Symposium meeting with the Best Paper Award for a Refereed Paper published in the journal Petrophysics. Dr. Michael Webber, assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering, received a 2007 Marshall Memorial Fellowship for emerging leaders. Dr. Preston S. Wilson, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, was awarded the A.B. Wood Medal from the Institute of Acoustics in the UK, which recognizes distinguished contributions by a young researcher in the field of ocean acoustics. Dr. Muhammad Zaman, assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering, received a University of Sydney International Research Fellowship. Dr. Jorge G. Zornberg, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, received the Achievement Award from the Mexican Chapter of the International Geosynthetics Society.

NATIONAL

Dr. Aruthi Akella, associate professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, was elected Associate Fellow of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Dr. Sanjay Banerjee, professor in electrical and computer engineering, was named a 2007 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Dr. Seth Bank, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering, received a Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Dr. Ronald E. Barr, professor of mechanical engineering, was awarded the Orthogonal Medal by North Carolina State University. Dr. Chandra Bhat, a civil, architectural and environmental engineering professor, along with co-authors Dr. Jessica Guo, a former Ph.D. student, and Rachel Copperman, a current Ph.D. student, received the 2007 Pyke Johnson Award from the Transportation Research Board (TRB) for their outstanding paper in transportation systems planning and the environment. Dr. Bhat also received the Wilbur S. Smith Distinguished Transportation Educator Award from the Institute of Transportation Engineers. Dr. David T. Blackstock, professor emeritus in the department of mechanical engineering, was awarded the 2007 Rossing Prize in Acoustics Education in the fall meeting of the Acoustical Society of America. Dr. Alan Bovik, professor in electrical and computer engineering, received the IEEE Signal Processing Society Education Award. Dr. Bovik was also named a Fellow of the Society of Photo-Optical and Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Dr. James Chelikowsky, professor in the department of chemical engineering, received the Outstanding Referee Award from the American Physical Society. Dr. Chelikowsky was also elected a 2007 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Shaochen Chen, associate professor in the department of mechanical engineering, was elected a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Dr. Kevin Folliard, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, has been named chair of the American Concrete Institute committee on concrete durability. Dr. Derek Chiou, assistant professor in the department of electrical and computer engineering, was awarded a National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Dr. George Georgiou, a biomedical engineering professor and chemical engineering professor, was awarded the James E. Bailey Award from the Society for Biological Engineering of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Dr. Mark F. Hamilton, professor of mechanical engineering, was elected by the membership of the Acoustical Society of America as the next president of the society, commencing in July 2008. Dr. Adam Heller, professor in the department of chemical engineering, was named the winner of the American Chemical Society Award for Creative Invention for 2008. Dr. Carlos Hidrovo, assistant professor in mechanical engineering, received a Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Dr. Paul S. Ho, professor of mechanical engineering, received the University Research Award from the Semiconductor Industry Association. Dr. Thomas Hughes, professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, was awarded the Timoshenko Medal by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Dr. Paul A. Jensen, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering and operations research and industrial engineering, was a recipient of the 2007 INFORMS Prize for the Teaching of OR/MS Practice. Dr. Thomas Kennedy, emeritus professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Association of Modified Asphalt Producers for his research that focused on the development of new materials and technical procedures. Dr. Kara Kockelman, associate professor of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, received the Woman of the Year Award from the Texas chapter of the Women's Transportation Seminar. Dr. Joseph Koo, a senior research scientist in mechanical engineering, received the Fellows Award from the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering. Dr. Alexis Kwasinski, electrical and computer engineering professor, received the Best Technical Paper Award at the 29th International Telecommunications Energy Conference (INTELEC). Dr. Stelios Kyriakides, professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, was honored with the U.S. Navy’s Distinguished Public Service Award. Dr. Raymond C. Loehr, professor emeritus in the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, was awarded the Environmental and Water Resources Institute 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award by the American Society of Civil Engineers. Dr. Randy Machemehl, civil, architectural and environmental engineering professor, has been selected to receive the 2008 Wilbur S. Smith Award from the Transportation and Development Institute of the American Society of Civil Engineers. Dr. Joseph F. Malina, professor in the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, was recognized by the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers as an eminent water resources engineer based on his advanced expertise and extensive experience in water resources engineering and certified as a Diplomate, Water Resources Engineer (D.WRE). Dr. Hans Mark, professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, was honored with the 2008 General James E. Hill Lifetime Space Achievement Award from the Space Foundation for more than 50 years of impact and leadership in space policy and the space industry. Dr. Mark was also honored with the U.S. Navy's Distinguished Public Service Award for more than 50 years of research with military relevance. Dr. Mia Markey, assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering, received the 2008 Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy (IMSA) Alumni Distinguished Leadership Award. Dr. Markey also received Carnegie Mellon University's Recent Alumni Award. Dr. Steven P. Nichols, professor in mechanical engineering, received the American Society for Engineering Education’s 2007 Kauffman Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award. Dr. J. Tinsley Oden, associate vice president for research and director of the Institute for Computation Engineering and Sciences (ICES) was inducted into the department of civil and environmental engineering’s Hall of Distinction at his alma mater, Louisiana State University. Dr. Jon Olson, associate professor in the department of petroleum and geosystems engineering, has been selected as an AAPG Distinguished Lecturer. Dr. Michael Orshansky, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering received a NSF CAREER Award. Dr. Orshansky was also named to the Special Interest Group on Design Automation's (SIGDA) Outstanding New Faculty at the 2007 Design Automation Conference. Dr. David Z. Pan, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering, received a NSF CAREER Award. Dr. Nicholas Peppas, professor of biomedical engineering and chemical engineering, received the prestigious Pierre Galletti Award at the 2008 American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) annual meeting in Washington, DC. Dr. Peppas was also elected Fellow of the American Society for Engineering Education and was elected to the Inaugural Class of the Materials Research Society Fellows. Dr. Elmira Popova, associate professor of mechanical engineering, was recently named a Fulbright Scholar by the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board to lecture and conduct research in operations research and statistics during the 2008-2009 academic year. Dr. Jorge Prozzi, assistant professor in the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, has been named Chair of the Transportation Research Board's Committee on International Activities (Committee A0010). Dr. Venkat Raman, assistant professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, received the National Science Foundation CAREER Award. Dr. Ellen Rathje, associate professor in the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, received the 2007 Shamsher Prakash Research Award from the Shamsher Prakash Foundation for her contributions to geotechnical earthquake engineering. Dr. Pengyu Ren, assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering, received the Hewlett-Packard Outstanding Junior Faculty Award from the American Chemical Society. Dr. Charles A. Sorber, professor emeritus in the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, former senior administrator at UT System, former president of UT Permian Basin, and former interim president of UT Arlington has agreed to serve as interim head of the Office of Student Financial Services at UT Austin. Dr. Kenneth H. Stokoe, II, civil, architectural and environmental engineering professor, received the 2008 Frank Frischknecht Leadership Award for his contributions to near-surface geophysics. Dr. Ben Streetman, dean of the Cockrell School of Engineering and professor in electrical and computer engineering, was honored during IBM Austin's 40th anniversary celebration for "outstanding leadership in engineering education and innovation." Dr. Laura Suggs, assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering, received the Young Faculty Award from the Gulf-Southwest section of the American Society for Engineering Education. Drs. Delbert Tesar and Chetan Kapoor, the department of mechanical engineering Robotics Research Group's director and associate director respectively, received the 2007 Outstanding Paper Award from the Emerald Literati Network for a paper published in the Industrial Robot Journal. Dr. Thomas Truskett, chemical engineering assistant professor, received the 2007 Allan P. Colburn Award from the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE). Dr. Truskett was also selected to present the 2007 Hendrick C. Van Ness Award Lectures in the department of chemical and biological engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Dr. Emanuel Tutuc, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering, received a Young Faculty Award from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Dr. Sriram Vishwanath, an electrical and computer engineering assistant professor, received a $300,000 U.S. Army Research Office Young Investigator Award. Dr. Mary Wheeler, professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics and the department of petroleum and geosystems engineering, received an Honorary Doctor of Engineering from the Colorado School of Mines. Dr. C. Grant Willson, professor in the department of chemical engineering, received the 2007 SEMI Award which honors individuals and teams who have made significant technical contributions to the semiconductor industry. Dr. Joseph A. Yura, professor emeritus in the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, was selected to receive the American Society of Civil Engineers’ OTC Hall of Fame award. Dr. Muhammad Zaman, assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering, received the 2008 Outstanding Teaching Award from the Gulf Southwest Region American Society for Engineering Education.

STATE, UNIVERSITY

Dr. Chandra Bhat, professor in the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, has been selected to represent UT Austin for the 2008 Jefferson Science Fellows program. Dr. William O’Brien, assistant professor in the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering received an Excellence in Innovation Award for developing and incorporating effective and emerging instructional technologies that enable teaching that transforms learning. Dr. Constantine Caramanis, assistant professor in electrical and computer engineering, won the Texas Exes Teaching Award for the Cockrell School of Engineering. Dr. Ofodike A. Ezekoye, professor of mechanical engineering, was selected as a Texas Exes Black Alumni Legacy Award winner. Dr. Earnest F. Gloyna, professor emeritus of the department of civil, architectural and environmental engineering, received a Presidential Citation for 2007.

COCKRELL SCHOOL

Dr. David Allen, professor in the department of chemical engineering, received the 2008 Joe J. King Professional Engineering Achievement Award. Dr. Tony Ambler, professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering, and Dr. Joe Beaman, professor and chair of mechanical engineering, were co-recipients of 2008 Women in Engineering Advocate Award. Dr. Sanjay Banerjee, electrical and computer engineering professor and director of the microelectronics research center, received the Billy and Claude R. Hocott Distinguished Engineering Award. Dr. Paul Bommer, senior lecturer in the department of petroleum and geosystems engineering, received the departmental PGE Teaching Award. Dr. Sean Buckley, assistant professor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, was the recipient of the 2006-07 Departmental Teaching Award. Dr. Billy V. Koen and Dr. Kenneth M. Ralls, professors of mechanical engineering, were each recognized for their 40 years of teaching in the department.

Dr. Tim Taylor, senior lecturer in the department of petroleum and geosystems engineering, received a UT Student Engineering Council Faculty Appreciation Award. Dr. Jonathan Valvano, professor in the department of biomedical engineering, was selected to receive the 2008 Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company Award for Excellence in Engineering Teaching. Dr. Muhammad Zaman, assistant professor in the department of biomedical engineering, received the Outstanding Professor Award from the Student Engineering Council. Dr. Zaman has also been selected to receive the Cockrell School of Engineering Award for Outstanding Engineering Teaching by an Assistant Professor. STAFF Tricia Berry, Director of the Women in Engineering Program (WEP) in the Cockrell School, was elected President-Elect of the Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network (WEPAN). Margo Cousins, administrative associate in the department of biomedical engineering, received a Cockrell School of Engineering 2008 Staff Excellence Award. Frances DeCoux, administrative associate in the Construction Industry Institute, was awarded a Cockrell School of Engineering 2008 Staff Excellence Award. Amy R. Gilbert, financial analyst in the department of chemical engineering, received a University of Texas 2008 Staff Excellence Award. Kevin J. Haynes, a Laboratory/Technical Services Supervisor in the Chemical Engineering Department, has received the Citizen Service Award from the university police department. Barbara Howard, senior administrative associate at the Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory received a Cockrell School of Engineering 2008 Staff Excellence Award. Sarah Kitten, undergraduate coordinator/advisor in the department of aerospace engineering and engineering mechanics, received the ASE/EM Department Staff Excellence Award. Courtney Lockhart, academic advisor in the department of electrical and computer engineering, won the Texas Exes’ James W. Vick Award for Academic Advising. Dr. Kelly McQueary, academic advisor II in the department of chemical engineering, was awarded a Cockrell School of Engineering 2008 Staff Excellence Award. Dr. McQueary also received the Texas Exes' James W. Vick Award for Academic Advising. Sean O’Kelly, associate director of the nuclear engineering teaching laboratory, was selected to chair the International Atomic Energy Agency Technical Working Group on Research Reactors. Annette Perrone, senior administrative associate in the Center for Transportation Research, received a Cockrell School of Engineering 2008 Staff Excellence Award. Jolanda Prozzi, research associate in the Center for Transportation Research, received a University of Texas 2008 Staff Excellence Award. Vicki Stratton, senior administrative associate in the department of biomedical engineering, received a Cockrell School of Engineering 2008 Staff Excellence Award. Janice Williams, undergraduate academic advisor in the department of electrical and computer engineering, won a student-nominated honor: the Eyes of Texas Excellence Award. Dr. Sherry Woods, director of special projects under associate dean for academic affairs David Dolling, was chosen to receive the Women in Engineering Programs and Advocates Network (WEPAN) Founders Award. Cindy Zimmerman, academic advisor III in the department of biomedical engineering, received a University of Texas 2008 Staff Excellence Award and a Cockrell School of Engineering Outstanding Facilitator Award. Ms. Zimmerman also received an Outstanding First-Year Interest Group (FIG) Award.

GRADUATE STUDENTS

Jeff Armstrong, mechanical engineering senior, received the 2007 Student Excellence Award from The Southwestern Company. Ramya Bhagavatula, a graduate student in electrical and computer engineering won Best Student Paper Award at the IEEE Vehicular Technology Conference. Her paper was co-authored by Dr. Sriram Vishwanath and her advisor, Dr. Robert Heath. Christopher Carlton, a materials science and engineering doctoral student, supervised by Paulo Ferreira, received the Silver Award from the Materials Research Society. Chan-Byoung Chae, electrical and computer engineering graduate student, was awarded the Gold prize in the 2007 HumanTech paper contest sponsored by Samsung. Caleb Funk, a chemical engineering doctoral student, received the 2007 Best Poster Award from the Separations Division of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers. Stephanie Johnson, an environmental engineering doctoral student received the J. Walter Porter Fellowship from the Texas Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE). Ramakrishna Kotla, graduate student in electrical and computer engineering, won a Best Paper Award at the 21st ACM Symposium on Operating Systems Principles. Hyung Joo Lee, a chemical engineering Ph.D. student, received the Best Paper Award at the Advanced Equipment Control/Advanced Process Control (AEC/APC) Symposium. Shannon D. Lewis, graduate student in the microelectronics research center, won the Ben Streetman Prize for early research excellence for her work on Novel Coupled-channel Field-Effect-Transistors for Chemical Sensing. Eric Looney (undergraduate division), Waleed Fazelipour (masters division), and Elena Rodriguez (doctoral division) in the department of petroleum and geosystems engineering, swept the SPE Gulf Coast Paper Contest held at UT April 4-8. All three will compete at the International SPE Student Paper Contest in Denver in September. Civil, architectural and environmental engineering graduate students Charles Hammond, Alan Kreisa, Josh Mouras, and undergraduates Chris Anspach, Hol Gaskill, Gary Lehman, and Ty Womble placed 6th among 43 schools in the 2007 Steel Bridge National Competition. Alex Liu, electrical and computer engineering graduate student, and Drs. Joydeep Ghosh and Cheryl Martin received the Best Paper Award at the 2007 International Conference on Data Mining. Tao Luo and David Newmark, electrical and computer engineering graduate students, and Dr. David Pan, won the Best Paper Award at the Semiconductor Research Corporation Techcon 2007 conference. Albert Mendoza, graduate student in petroleum and geosystems engineering, associate professor Carlos Torres-Verdin and co-author William Preeg, were named the 2007 recipients of the Best Poster Award from the Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts. Ella Miesner, a mechanical engineering and Plan II senior, has been selected to join the 2008 Teach for American Corps as an Amgen Fellow. Elias Mizan, electrical and computer engineering graduate student and undergraduate Tileli Amimeur, received the 2007 Best Paper Award at the 19th International Symposium on Computer Architecture and High Performance Computing. Amit Partani, a doctoral student in the Operations Research & Industrial Engineering Program, received the Best Paper Award from the Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences (INFORMS) Computing Society. Mechanical engineering graduate students Carrie Peterson, Katharine Harrison and Christine Tower are among 15 students who were accepted into the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship program for 2007. Ginger Pocock, a biomedical engineering graduate student and supervised by Dr. Grady Rylander, won a “Best Student Paper” award at the Texas Society for Microscopy Conference. Adrien Ponticorvo, biomedical engineering, and supervised by Dr. Andrew Dunn, received Best Paper and Presentation in all research categories at the spring 2008 Graduate and Industry Networking Conference. Roy Raharjo, a chemical engineering doctoral student, received the American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Separations Division Graduate Student Award. Shyaam Raman, electrical and computer engineering graduate student, was awarded the Dow Chemical Research Award at the Graduate and Industry Networking 2008 Conference. Joy Sarkar, a graduate student in the microelectronics research center, won the Ben Streetman Prize for his work on Non-volatile Memory Devices beyond Process-scaled Planar Flash Technology. Jignesh Shah, biomedical engineering graduate student and supervised by Dr. Stansilav Emelianov, won 1st Place at the Interdisciplinary Perspectives: A Graduate Student Research Showcase for his talk on “Image Guided Photothermal Cancer Therapy.” Moss Shimek, a mechanical engineering teaching assistant, was elected to receive a Texas Exes Teaching Award. Tyler Summers, aerospace engineering graduate student, received a U.S. Postgraduate Fulbright Scholarship to Australia. Dr. Xiaokun Wang, a former civil engineering doctoral student, has been selected to receive a 2007 Council of University Transportation Centers Pikarsky Award for best Ph.D. dissertation in Science and Technology. Michael Waring, a doctoral student in the Indoor Environmental Science and Engineering, developed a winning website under supervising professors Jeffrey Siegel in architectural engineering and Richard Corsi in environmental engineering. Waring worked in concert with the Cockrell School’s Faculty Innovation Center staff director Kathy Schmidt, with David Dinh, Randy Henning, Matt Mangum, Michael Jeong-won Woo, Hyo-Jin Yoon and Erik Zumalt. Jessica Williams, aerospace engineering graduate student, was accepted to the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program. Qiu Wu, electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. candidate, received the 2008 Cockrell School of Engineering Graduate Student Leadership Award. Yang Zhang, chemical engineering doctoral student, has received a scholarship from the Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society to research multivariate statistical process control methods to develop and implement an online monitoring software package for industrial chemical and biological batch processes.

WE MUST FOSTER INNOVATION.

Research is performed in the seven departments, 20 Cockrell School of Engineering research units, and 6 interdisciplinary centers associated with the School. In FY 06-07 our faculty members submitted 644 proposals, with first-year funding requests totaling more than $207M. The Cockrell School of Engineering had nearly $145 million of research expenditures for this fiscal period.

The research activities of the School have increased steadily over the past twelve years. In 1996 the College of Engineering had 18 research units. Since that time, two units now report through the Office of the Vice President for Research, three units have dissolved, and the School has created seven new research units which include the Texas Materials Institute, Center for Biological and Medical Engineering, Telecommunications and Signal Processing (now designated as the Wireless Networking and Communications Group), Nuclear Engineering Research Laboratory, Software Engineering Research Center (now designated as the Center for Excellence in Distributed Global Environments), Advanced Manufacturing Center, and the Texas Energy Institute. The average number of proposals submitted by our faculty has increased by nearly 30 per year; so far during

FY 07-08 (through March) our faculty has submitted 508 research proposals with requested first-year funding of $176M. The total research expenditures of the Cockrell School of Engineering have increased by an average of $5.8M per year over the past twelve years. The distribution of sponsored research support has remained fairly steady with approximately 55 percent federal, 20 percent state/local, 15 percent industry, and 10 percent from private and other sources. Evidence of faculty innovation appears in development of intellectual property, in addition to innovative research and teaching. In this past year (FY 06-07), 78 disclosures were submitted to the Office of Technology Commercialization, an increase from 58 during the previous fiscal year. A total of 116 patents were filed naming an inventor associated with the Cockrell School, and 24 patents were issued.

CENTER FOR LIFELONG ENGINEERING EDUCATION (CLEE)

Prior to 1996, the Continuing Engineering Studies (CES) group offered a limited number of short courses as support for other government agencies and as the educational arm of the College of Engineering’s institutes. We did not offer any opportunities for Master’s Degrees for working professionals. Considerable progress has been made in the subsequent 12 years. 1996: The Software Engineering Master’s Degree (one weekend/month for 2 years) for working professionals was launched. 1999: Continuing Education Studies (CES), the Software Quality Institute (SQI), and the Instructional Media Lab (IML) were brought together under the umbrella of the Center for Lifelong Engineering Education (CLEE). IML later became the Faculty Innovation Center (FIC). 2000: The Engineering Management Master’s Degree (one weekend/month for 2 years) for working professionals was launched. 2004: The Circuit Design Master’s Degree (one weekend/month for 2 years) for working professionals was launched. CLEE contracted with TxDOT to provide 60+ training courses around the state. 2006: The Engineering Leadership Institute was launched to provide training over a two-year period for first-time Engineering Managers. In the March 2006 issue of the Austin Business Journal, SQI was ranked in the Top 18 computer training firms (ranked by number of students taught in 2005). 2007: International Engineering Management Conference 2007 was held in Austin for the first time. CLEE staff served on the conference committee and as on-site support. In an average year, CLEE serves over 3,000 individuals in the engineering community in over 200 courses. In 2006-2007, CLEE provided $1,158,757 to the Cockrell School of Engineering through support of research centers, faculty, and teaching assistants.

CLEE comprises five units: the Professional Master’s in Engineering (PME) programs mentioned above, the Construction Industry Program (CIP), Lifelong Engineering Education (LEE), Software Quality Institute (SQI), and Marketing Services. The Professional Master’s in Engineering (PME) programs now have 188 students actively pursuing master’s degrees and a total of 479 have

graduated thus far. The Software Engineering Master’s Degree program has 266 graduates and 71 students currently enrolled. The average GRE scores for these students is 1142, and average GPA is 3.37. The Engineering Management Master’s Degree program has 170 graduates and 73 students currently enrolled. The average GRE scores for these students is 1157, and average GPA is 3.18. The Circuit Design Master’s Degree program has 43 graduates and 44 students actively enrolled. The average GRE score for these students is 1212 and average GPA is 3.22. CLEE is working with the Advanced Manufacturing Center to launch a new Advanced Manufacturing Master’s Degree in fall of 2008. Partnering with faculty, other UT departments, alumni and staff, PME staff promote the Cockrell School of Engineering to companies and individuals. Firming up alumni support of our programs is a primary objective, as this support continues to be a key component in program growth. The Construction Industry Program (CIP) is closely aligned with the Construction Industry Institute. CIP offers weeklong courses in construction management and training on a local (Austin, San Antonio), national (Wisconsin, Michigan), and international level (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil). We are currently negotiating a $750,000 contract with Petrobras Brazil to provide training over the next two years. The Lifelong Engineering Education (LEE) group offers custom and public courses. In addition, LEE offers conferences that allow professional engineers to acquire their entire 1.5 CEUs to fulfill their annual requirement for their license in a single two-day event. Our spotlight CEU conference is on Forensics Engineering, held each February. 2008 marked our highest attendance to date (95 engineers). We also offer courses/conferences on topics related to petroleum, architectural, civil, mechanical and electrical engineering, as well as Six Sigma and Engineering Leadership. Our newest offerings: Energy, Technology and Policy and the Texas nodal market. The Software Quality Institute (SQI) is dedicated to bringing just-in-time training from practitioners to practitioners in software quality. Software Project Management is offered online or face-to-face and provides a certificate upon completion of all the modules. SQI began in 1993 and today celebrates its 288th graduate of the SWPM Program. The Marketing Group helps each of the CLEE programs increase the number of students served. The creative portion of the team is a compelling representative for the Cockrell School to the public at large and is responsible for generating promotion of CLEE activities/accomplishments through press releases, display ads, radio ads, and trade shows.

FACULTY INNOVATION CENTER (FIC)

The Faculty Innovation Center (FIC) provides faculty with effective instructional tools and strategies. By working with engineering faculty and students, the FIC is able to assist in enabling discipline-specific instruction that is supported by current best practices and appropriate instructional technologies. Since 2002, new professors begin their time in the School by attending an engineering specific New Faculty Orientation through the FIC. Throughout the year, a series of monthly seminars are offered on a variety of instructional and research topics. All faculty can meet with the FIC for individual consulting on their teaching. The emphasis is on finding ways for faculty to create engaging instruction that works for their style and approach.

FIC has won numerous awards at the campus-wide Innovation Instructional Technology Awards Program (IITAP). In the spring of 2007, the FIC was recognized with a silver award in the Teaching with Technology category for work on Dr. Mia Markey’s project, An Instructional Technology Scaffold for Reinforcing Learning of Probability and Statistics, and a gold award in the Resource Development category for work on Drs. Siegel and Corsi’s project, Building Mass and Energy Balances: A Multi-Level Web-based Educational Tool . Additional activities in the FIC include the recording and distribution of distance learning classes. Videoconferencing is readily available and professors are able to pre-record a class in the event that they’ll miss class due to travel. The FIC’s video producers are helping to create instructional videos and have just finished helping students create several public service announcements. Given the School’s varied instructional needs, the FIC is equipped to support a variety of teaching and learning endeavors.

MURCHISON CHAIR OF FREE ENTERPRISE

Over the last 12 years, the Cockrell School of Engineering has completely reengineered the Chair, its mission, and its activities. The changes started with a review of the Chair by a committee consisting of faculty, staff, and EFAC members. The committee (chaired by EFAC member Dr. David Bonner) examined the Chair’s activities and evaluated perceived needs of the Cockrell School of Engineering (then the College of Engineering) and recommended a significant change in program for the Chair, with a heavy emphasis on entrepreneurship and leadership. Dean Streetman assigned Dr. Steven Nichols to serve as the Director of the Chair of Free Enterprise. Effective September 1, 2001, the new mission of the Chair is to “create and nurture a culture of technology innovation, creativity, and leadership at The University of Texas at Austin and the global community that we serve.” As part of the new mission, the Cockrell School of Engineering has introduced new courses and activities in technology commercialization and technology entrepreneurship at the graduate and undergraduate level. Programs developed at the Chair of Free Enterprise build on and complement both the research and education activities of the Cockrell School of Engineering, the McCombs School of Business, the College of Natural Sciences, the School of Pharmacy, and other academic disciplines. In a relatively short period of time, the Cockrell School of Engineering has developed a strong reputation in engineering entrepreneurship education, and its faculty have received the Kauffman Outstanding Entrepreneurship Award by the American Society for Engineering Education for excellence in engineering and high-technology education. Partially in recognition for the development of and dissemination of the Idea to Product® (I2P®) program at UT Austin, Dr. Nichols received the inaugural Olympus in recognition of excellence and leadership in invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship. The I2P® program encourages engineering and science students to develop new products and services based on the research they are performing in their laboratories. Students from more than 40 universities in 12 countries and 4 continents have now participated in the I2P® program. Aided by funding from the National Science Foundation, the Chair of Free Enterprise has taken the lead in assisting both universities and national laboratories (such as Oak Ridge National Laboratory) in adopting the format for encouraging engineers and scientists to develop their skills in technology commercialization and entrepreneurship.

Over the last 12 years, the Chair has also continued to develop and introduce into the classroom additional material in engineering professional responsibility, to support and develop opportunities

for a global experience for our engineering students, and to further develop our students into future leaders for our society.

WE MUST PROMOTE A SENSE OF COMMUNITY.

The Office of Student Affairs (SAO) provides a wide variety of programs and services to enhance the experience and success of the undergraduate students in the Cockrell School of Engineering. During the past twelve years most, if not all, of these have been enhanced to better serve the students, faculty, and staff.

FIRST YEAR ENGINEERING

Three programs are highlighted here, from among the many which deserve note. The Freshman Interest Group (FIG) program was initiated in fall 1998. A FIG provides a small cohort group (about 20) of students who take some classes together and form social and study groups. Engineering had three FIGs that first year. We now provide 27 FIGs and are considered one of the best programs in the University. The FIG program has helped many engineering students adjust to UT, particularly women and minorities. Since 2003, the one year retention rate in engineering for EOE FIGs averages 97% and the two year retention rate averages 89%. Since 2002, the one year retention rate in engineering for WEP FIGs averages 93% and the two year retention rate averages 80%. In 2001 the SAO initiated the Academic Community Center program. It began with a half time advising office in the Jester Residence Hall. The program now provides full time advising offices as well as free tutoring support for engineering students in both Jester and Kinsolving Residence Halls.

ENGINEERING HONORS PROGRAM

The students in the Engineering Honors Program (EHP) organized the Engineering Honors Council (EHC) in 2002, which has significantly expanded the activities for EHP students. The EHC has organized a new student welcome social, faculty firesides, and cultural activities. The EHC has also put together a new student guide which is being edited for use this fall.

NURTURING DIVERSITY

The Equal Opportunity in Engineering (EOE) Program and the Women in Engineering Program (WEP) focus on the recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups within the School. EOE and WEP provide pre-college outreach and recruitment, academic enrichment and retention, leadership enhancement and career development. Undergraduate enrollment for the fall 2007 semester included 17.4 percent ethnic minorities and 21.0 percent females. More than 1,800 currently enrolled students and over 1,700 pre-college students participate in EOE and WEP programs annually. Based on fall 2006 data, the School ranks first among top ranked public engineering institutions for the largest percentage of African American, Hispanic, and Native American enrollment and third in percentage of female student enrollment. UT Austin ranks 4th in the nation in producing undergraduate engineering degrees for minority groups (Diverse Issues in Higher Education). This year EOE Academic Initiatives served nearly 830 college students to establish a strong academic foundation and promote the formation of a peer support network.

More than 500 professionals volunteered to participate in EOE and WEP initiatives. They dedicated time, shared knowledge and provided guidance to pre-college and college students who have interests in engineering.

ORGANIZATIONS

In 1999 at the request of engineering student leaders the Office of Student Life (OSL) was created. At the time of its inception there was no other office like it in a UT Austin academic unit and there were 34 engineering student organizations. Today through the OSL we facilitate the activities of almost 60 engineering student organizations. These organizations involve both undergraduate and graduate engineering students in the life of the Cockrell School and provide them with opportunities in which to develop their skills in leadership, communications, ethics, and teamwork. To accomplish this, the OSL offers a wide variety of programs, among them Life Skills Workshops (on topics such as financial planning and time management), Interpersonal Communications Skills Training, and the Engineering Advisory Board Student Leaders Conference. Many of the OSL’s programs have served as role models for similar programs at UT and at other universities across the United States. During the fall semester the Dean and OSL staff meet for an hour each week with the student organization leaders to discuss their groups and get their input on School initiatives. These meetings also provide substantial networking and program coordination opportunities for the student organizations. We begin to build these relationships and develop these student leaders at the annual Dean’s Leadership Retreat, a meeting for new officers, and 2008 marks the 18th year for this retreat. In addition, through our engineering Student Leaders Conference held prior to the start of the fall semester, our student leaders receive in-depth training on School and University policies and procedures, corporate relations and organizational management, all of which enables them to more effectively run their organizations. Both the Dean’s Leadership Retreat and the Student Leaders Conference are unique among the academic units in the University. Our student organizations are also actively involved in community service. They provide tutoring at local public schools through programs such as Student Engineers Educating Kids (SEEK) and Adopt-a-School, they volunteer with Habitat for Humanity and the Neighborhood Longhorns program, among many others. This spring Omega Chi Epsilon, Chemical Engineering honor society, donated $1500 to Austin Heart House. The Student Engineering Council's Halloween Canned Food Drive is recognized as one of the top three food drives in the State of Texas, raising over 6 tons of food annually. Our student organizations have also won numerous awards, most awarded at their regional and national conventions. Among them, our Biomedical Engineering Society earned the 2007 National Commendable Achievement Award; the National Society of Black Engineers received the 2008 Large Chapter of the Region award and the Natiional Large Chapter of the Year award; Tau Beta Pi received the Secretary's Commendation; the Student Engineering Council received the Most Philanthropic award; the Society of Women Engineers received #1 Large Collegiate Section Outreach Event for Encounter with Engineering (EWE), #1 Large Collegiate Section Membership Retention Program, #1 Collegiate Website, Outstanding Collegiate Section Certificate of Merit, and Outstanding Collegiate Section; SWE member Anne Raynes (Mechanical Engineering Graduate Student) received 1st Place in Collegiate Poster Competition; the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers received Blue Chip Chapter from Region V and Outstanding Achievement Award for Impressive Increase in Student Membership.

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

The Student Leaders Conference, established in 2005 as a collaborative effort within the Student Division of Engineering and led by the Women in Engineering Program, has hosted 598 engineering student leaders for a day of leadership training, community building and networking. WEP established the WEP Leadership Seminar in 2007 and the WEP Career Development Seminar in 2008 to provide continued community building and personal development for second year though senior undergraduate students. The WEP Leadership Seminar provides students practical applications to assessing their leadership and communication styles and applying what they learn through interactive activities. The WEP Career Development Seminar provides students practical applications to navigating and succeeding in the workplace and a connection to role models and experienced engineers through panel discussions and interactive activities. Over 100 students have completed the two-credit hour courses to date. EOE Professional Development & Leadership Initiatives served nearly 475 college students to provide them with maximum exposure to engineering professionals working in industry. EOE launched the EOE Career Development Seminar in 2008 and hosts and trains over 30 student leaders annually during the EOE Leadership Empowerment Weekend. Many of our student leaders have been participants in LeaderShape Texas, a week-long camp coordinated by the OSL which focuses on leading with integrity and ethical behavior. Of 50 participating campuses across the United States, LeaderShape-Texas is considered by the national LeaderShape office to be the top campus-based program in the country. The May 2008 session will mark the 23rd session of LeaderShape-Texas in 12 years, and to date almost 1000 UT students, the majority of them engineers, have completed the program. This spring the OSL began a new program for lower-division engineering students called Ramshorn Retreats. The retreats are a half day, on-campus program designed to enable these students to begin the process of learning what it means to be an engineering leader. The retreats allow the students an opportunity to interact with a large number of Engineering Advisory Board members, learning from them practical techniques of leadership.

ALUMNI COMMUNITY

We work to develop a sense of community among alumni and companies that interact with the Cockrell School. We have numerous alumni events, including visits by the Dean and various faculty to alumni meetings across the state, and the 50th reunion celebration of the appropriate graduating class (this year the Class of 1958). A popular program is a tailgate party before the homecoming football game, currently called “Ben’s Bash.” No doubt that name will change in 2008.

CORPORATE

Two companies were honored at our annual Corporate Awards Luncheon in April. Chevron received the Engineering Foundation Corporate Service Award for its support and involvement with the School. This award recognizes a company for its outstanding level of interaction with the School faculty, staff, and students and for consistently supporting the School through recruiting, alumni interaction, executive involvement, equipment contributions, research sponsorship, and participation in student programs and organizations. Air Liquide received the School's Texas Star Award in recognition of its leadership and innovative partnering with the Cockrell School on the

International Internship Program. The Texas Star Award was started in 1998 to recognize a company that has had a unique and outstanding involvement with the School in the last year. Three individuals were also recognized for their championing of Cockrell School key initiatives: George Mitchell with the University Co-op, Susan Mullen with Bechtel and Dennis Welborn with Schlumberger.

WE MUST COMMUNICATE THE QUALITY OF WHAT WE DO.

Our faculty remain extremely successful in communicating their research through journal articles, conference proceedings, oral presentations, and reports. In addition to this interaction with professional colleagues, it is important to communicate the quality of our work to the general population. This provides the public a better understanding of the engineering profession in general, as well as stronger motivation as taxpayers to support the Cockrell School. With the help of Becky Rische and the Engineering Public Affairs Office, our faculty and students appeared in more than 400 news articles since April of last year, with 26 national news appearances. By contrast, this quadrupled the 92 articles featuring our engineering school a dozen years ago, with only two of those appearing in national news. Over the past 12 years as the World Wide Web has evolved into an important communications tool, we have embraced its ability to share our work internationally with the public.

• We write more than 200 stories annually and publish them on the popular Cockrell School Web site (www.engr.utexas.edu/news/ ). This news site hosted an average of 110,000 unique visitors each month (up from 70,000 a year ago), and those visitors e-mailed an average of 10,000 of these stories monthly to others;
• To reinforce the widespread impact of our stories in the news media, our homepage (www.engr.utexas.edu ) now offers links to the national news articles. This past year articles appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe and USA Today, among others;
• The Engineering Public Affairs Office began visually highlighting one of its weekly stories on the Cockrell School homepage and with the Engineering Relations Office sent postcards or e-mails to further alert and engage diverse audiences in industry, the medical profession, Legislators, high school teachers and others.

This year the Engineering Public Affairs Office also offered

• our bi-weekly electronic newsletter, now in its fifth year of publication. This colorful e-mail aims to keep the near-1,000 engineering faculty and staff aware of news within the Cockrell School;
• a 32-page alumni magazine, published and mailed to all 42,000 alumni and posted online (www.engr.utexas.edu/news/publications/magazine/winter2008 ) providing Cockrell School perspectives on activities within the School and among the alumni. Three such magazines were published in the last 12 years, and they are the only three published in Cockrell School history;
• a collection of faculty research projects described in simple terms on the Cockrell School research Web page (http://www.engr.utexas.edu/research );
• the annually updated online faculty bios and portraits (www.engr.utexas.edu/faculty/bios ) replacing the near-200-page research directory printed a dozen years ago;
• an online image library (www.engr.utexas.edu/news/action%5Fshots ) imparting a sense of our researchers as people, as well as an image of the places where great breakthroughs occur.

WE MUST HAVE AN INFRASTRUCTURE COMMENSURATE WITH OUR GOALS.

The Cockrell School of Engineering has strong endowments which benefit faculty and students. The total market value of the School’s endowments is $384 M, which provides about $18M annually for faculty, student and program support. These endowments include $131M for student scholarships and fellowships, $28M for program support, and $225M in faculty endowments. The faculty endowments have provided 58 Chairs, 75 Professorships, 72 Faculty Fellowships, and 13 Lectureships. These have allowed us to recruit and retain truly outstanding faculty. In July 2007 the UT Board of Regents changed the name of the College of Engineering to the Cockrell School of Engineering, recognizing the endowments provided over many years by the Cockrell Foundation. This foundation was created by the late Ernest Cockrell, Jr., a 1936 graduate of our Petroleum Engineering department. Cockrell gifts have resulted in the equivalent of an endowment of $220M. These transformative gifts have built much of the infrastructure the School depends upon for its success. Alumni and friends of the Cockrell School provide about $30M in new gifts annually, including about $1.5M from the Friends of Alec annual giving program. Over the past twelve years the School has provided significant laboratory and office renovations for new faculty. This has occurred in every Cockrell School building on campus and in most facilities at the Pickle Research Campus. Nevertheless, space needs and utilization remain critical for many programs within the School. Through support of the University Co-op, Ford Motor Company, and other sponsors, the School has been able to support creation of facilities for student projects, study and teamwork development. The reincarnation of the Taylor T-Room in ETC was completed this year and provides an excellent environment for student learning. Other student study and meeting facilities have been developed in ENS and ECJ. The new Biomedical Engineering Building will be completed this summer and a dedication ceremony is planned for August 28. On the Pickle campus, a new IGERT Indoor Environment Facility has been completed, and significant renovations at the Ferguson Structural Engineering Laboratory have transformed unusable space in an older facility to excellent research laboratory space

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

The Cockrell School of Engineering continues its commitment to foster world-class learning through the innovative and appropriate integration of technology into the curriculum, research and community. During the past 12 years considerable progress has been made:

• Laptops for Learning program: Meeting student needs for affordable and accessible computing inspired an Anytime/Anywhere computing vision in the fall of 1996 in the form of the Laptops for Learning program, which saved students between $500 and $800 per CPU when it was first implemented in the summer of 1997. Today, CPUs cost about 1/3 of what they did in 1997 and students can buy a laptop for a reasonable price without our help.
• Our friends at National Instruments provided LabVIEW, a widely used engineering toolkit, for each laptop purchased by students, resulting in a million dollar contribution to our computing infrastructure. Now, students and faculty have access via the campus LabVIEW licensing.
• Studio Classrooms also emerged in 1997 and 2001 with emphasis on faculty/student interactivity.
• A series of successful mobility grants, partnering with industry vendors, provided pervasive wireless Ethernet in 2001. Engineering pursued additional grants to help build-out the campus wireless infrastructure, contributing more than 15 servers and other infrastructure components. In 2006 we upgraded the wireless infrastructure from 11MB to 54MB.
• AutoCAD licensing from a co-op of schools helped reduced cost burdens to individual departments.
• In 1998, the ITG Service Desk was staffed by a manager and one technician, manually tracking service requests for over 1000 requests per year. Capabilities increased in 2001, when Track-It software was purchased to electronically monitor work orders. In 2008, the Service Desk has four support personnel and one manager, handling annually 13,000+ email service requests, 5000+ phone inquiries, and generating 6000+ completed work orders. Our equipment loan program supplies students, faculty and staff access to 15+ laptops, 6+ projectors, digital camera, mobile cards, conference phone, and presentation kits.
• Classroom podiums didn’t exist on campus in 1996, but Engineering pursued the infrastructure to build and maintain Robo-Podiums in our ~60 classrooms throughout Engineering. Robo-Podiums are height adjustable and provide an easy interface for controlling projection media within the classroom. Instant intercoms are another Engineering innovation which can invoke remote assistance or dispatch on-site assistance at the touch of a button.
  • In 2001 our classroom support team was developed, consisting of a manager and a media coordinator. Partnering with the College of Liberal Arts, we began installation of multimedia into our 60+ classrooms, at the rate of approximately 10 classrooms per year. In 2005, a technology coordinator joined our team and we have now upgraded many of our larger classrooms to electronically control dual screen projection and sound broadcast systems.
• An increasing number of faculty are exploring the use of Tablet PCs in the classroom. Tablets permit ad-hoc annotation of PowerPoint or can act as a virtual electronic blackboard.

• Security - Engineering has implemented Operation Orange Hat to provide a set of security practices. These include verification tools to secure file transfers and whole disk encryption.
• Learning Resource Centers (aka “LRCs”) have been a mainstay of student computing within Engineering since the 1980s and now include virtualization technologies offering more flexible software delivery to students.