Four Cockrell School of Engineering faculty members will participate in the National Academy of Engineering’s (NAE) annual U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium this fall.
The 2013 symposium, which will be held Sept. 19-21 in Wilmington, Del., will bring together about 100 outstanding engineers under the age of 45 to discuss cutting-edge developments in four areas: designing and analyzing social networks; cognitive manufacturing; reducing our dependence on fossil fuels; and flexible electronics.
The goal of the Frontiers of Engineering program is to convene engineers from industry, academia and government labs to facilitate cross-disciplinary exchange and promote the transfer of new techniques and approaches to sustain and increase the United States’ innovative capacity and competitiveness. Participants were selected from a group of 310 applicants nominated by fellow engineers and organizations, and speakers were selected by organizers for each of the four sessions.
“The well-being of society will rely on engineering ideas developed by our nation’s leading technological thinkers,” said NAE President Charles M. Vest. “The Frontiers of Engineering program gives some of our most talented early-career innovators the opportunity to create interdisciplinary relationships that are critical to shaping and advancing the future.”
The participating Cockrell School faculty members are:
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Hal Alper (participant), assistant professor, McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering — Alper is a leading authority on biofuels and his presence will be instrumental in discussions related to non-fossil fuel based energy.
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Halil Berberoglu (session organizer), assistant professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering — Berberoglu organized the session on energy, titled Energy: Reducing Our Dependence on Fossil Fuels. His research focuses on exploiting a wide range of renewable energy sources and carbon sequestration technologies.
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Dragan Djurdjanovic (speaker), assistant professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering — Djurdjanovic will speak on cognitive manufacturing at the modern machine level. He is an expert in artificial immunity in diagnostic systems and controls in both the automotive and semiconductor industries.
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Nanshu Lu (speaker), assistant professor, Department of Aerospace Engineering and Engineering Mechanics — Lu will speak on the mechanics and materials of bio-integrated electronics, as her research focuses on the subject and integrates electronics on the human body using flexible circuits and components.
The NAE was founded in 1964 and is a private, independent, nonprofit institution that provides engineering leadership in service to the nation. NAE’s mission is to advance the well-being of the nation by promoting a vibrant engineering profession and by marshaling the expertise and insights of eminent engineers to provide independent advice to the federal government on matters involving engineering and technology.
At the Cockrell School, senior faculty members constitute the fourth highest membership in the NAE, nationwide. In 2013, two Cockrell School professors and two alumni were inducted into the academy, the nation’s highest honor for engineers.
